What to do w/ kitty when people come to look @ my house?

[Minnie_me]

Our house just went on the market, and its first showing is tomorrow. I'm all set, and am very confident with the way the house looks.

However..........I don't know what to do with the cat!!! She's a very moody Siamese, and I just don't trust her not to BITE well-meaning strangers who try to pet her. I can't put her in the basement or close her off in any room, because obviously these people are going to want to SEE the whole house.

Ideas? I feel like there's got to be a solution that I'm too dense (or stressed out) to think of!

 

[Art 1]

Our house just went on the market, and its first showing is tomorrow. I'm all set, and am very confident with the way the house looks.

However..........I don't know what to do with the cat!!! She's a very moody Siamese, and I just don't trust her not to BITE well-meaning strangers who try to pet her. I can't put her in the basement or close her off in any room, because obviously these people are going to want to SEE the whole house.

Ideas? I feel like there's got to be a solution that I'm too dense (or stressed out) to think of!

I would either get rid of the cat or board it at the kennel when prospective buyers are going to look at the house.

 

[Minnie_me]

I would either get rid of the cat or board it at the kennel when prospective buyers are going to look at the house.

There's no way I'm getting rid of our pet! ????

And I can't imagine paying $$ for a kennel for an hour while people look at the house.

There's got to be a solution!!

 

[bethbuchall]

Do you have a friend who would let the cat stay with him/her while the prospective buyers are looking at your house?

 

[amez]

can you put her in a cat carrier or cage during that time?

 

[tar heel]

Ideally, you need the cat AND the litter box gone when your house is being shown.

 

[Randi]

Put her in a carrier, & take her along with her litter box in the car since you can't be in the house either. The litter box needs to be out of the house too, that's why I mentioned it, not that she would be using it in the car.

 

[Minnie_me]

LOL -- my 9-year old DD just said, "Why don't we put her in the carrier and take her with us when we leave?"

I think that will work for tomorrow, since it's a weekend. We're just going to run some errands while the house is being shown, and my 12-year old can stay with kitty in the car.

I may be able to ask my neighbors to keep kitty (in her carrier, cuz as I said, she can bite) at other times while the house is being shown........

 

[Ohiodislover]

Ideally, you need the cat AND the litter box gone when your house is being shown.

Agreed...Not a good idea to have pets around during the showing.

I think I would have someone cat sit, or a cage in the garage

 

[hedgehog2owl]

when we were buying, our Realtor took us to a house...the owners put a puppy in a cardboard box! Like one of those giant boxes that dishwashers come in. It was right in the middle of the living room. we thought ok they are packing. But then the puppy started growling and going crazy trying to get out! And it had pooped. It was so weird. (and the fact they sat on the steps while we looked at their house)

I would not recommend doing that We did not look at the rest of the house, I'm afraid.

Can you put your cat in crate and put it in the garage? Maybe tell your realtor that you are doing this so there won't be any surprises.

(yeah, I know, my cats HATE crates too, but whaddya do, yk )

 

[Minnie_me]

Ideally, you need the cat AND the litter box gone when your house is being shown.

Put her in a carrier, & take her along with her litter box in the car since you can't be in the house either. The litter box needs to be out of the house too, that's why I mentioned it, not that she would be using it in the car.

Litter box is staying put. It's covered, and it's in a far far corner of our huge basement. When my realtor did her first walk-through, she was standing 2 feet from the litter box and said, "I don't know where you keep your litter box, but I haven't been able to smell it the whole time I've been here!" For some reason, whether it's the litter I use, or this particular kitty, it just doesn't smell!

 

[Meriweather]

My house has been for sale for almost 2 years.
My kitty hates when people come, he just goes and hides under my bed or down in the basement.
Our real estate agent gave us a cute sign for the front door...saying to not let the cat out.
I made a sign for the basement to leave the door open a crack.
The cat boxes are hidden and have air fresheners by them......no one knows by the smell (say what you like, it is true). One is in the very back corner of my walk in closet with the clothes hamper in front of it and the other is in the basement in a far corner with a wooden screen in front of it.

 

[phorsenuf]

When my Realtor came by the first time to see the house before listing it he was floored when I told him I had cats. He said he never would have known I had one, let alone 6, if I hadn't said anything.
Not all cat littler boxes are stinky.

 

[binny]

seriously?? get rid of the pet? nice

This is where you make up a sign that says "Kitty is sweet but doesnt like strangers, please dont pet him"

My cats were always in the house, one would hide the other would just stay out of the way. There was no way that I was getting rid of them or taking them out. Especially if people called from right outside the door, which they did often

Good luck!

 

[Bluestars]

Why don't you put the cat in a large carrier and set it right next to the litter box in the basement when the house is being shown? That way the cat won't be out in the cold and it won't bother anyone. Another reason to not let the cat roam free when people are there is that many people are allergic to cats.

 

[AlleyKat]

seriously?? get rid of the pet? nice

This is where you make up a sign that says "Kitty is sweet but doesnt like strangers, please dont pet him"

My cats were always in the house, one would hide the other would just stay out of the way. There was no way that I was getting rid of them or taking them out. Especially if people called from right outside the door, which they did often

Good luck!

The above post pretty much sums up what to do!

 

[AlleyKat]

When my Realtor came by the first time to see the house before listing it he was floored when I told him I had cats. He said he never would have known I had one, let alone 6, if I hadn't said anything.
Not all cat littler boxes are stinky.

Thank you!

 

[AlleyKat]

I would either get rid of the cat or board it at the kennel when prospective buyers are going to look at the house.

 

[kathie859]

with ART1's suggestion of removing the cat (AND the litter box). I have a cat, too, so don't think I hate animals; but if you are trying to sell your house, you need to remove all traces of "pets" during the tour. I don't think my cat litter box smell is noticible either--but I bet someone with a sensitive nose may be able to discern it. Plus if dear kitty's presence is known, some people will just assume that kitty has marked his/her territory somewhere or has fleas or whatever.

Maybe a friendly neighbor would let you put kitty's cage and litter box in their garage for a few hours? Just a thought.

 

[KirstenB]

Our cat is so reclusive whenever we have guests over. Would your cat just hide under the bed or whatever? I think that would be okay, along with the sign the previous posters suggested. I hate to suggest crating, because the only time we do that is when our little old cat has to go to the vet, and you can imagine how well that goes.