Pet-free apartments; spawn free apartments?

I am aware that some childfree people also do not want pets. This board seems to be a very pet-friendly board, so I figured I'd post my latest rant. I've been thinking this way for quite some time, however, I never had a forum to voice my (unpopular) opinion about the matter.

I live in a pet-free apartment. I wouldn't be able to afford the pet fee or rent at other complexes in my area, so the point is moot. Since I wouldn't be able to afford that, I certainly wouldn't be able to afford the food, vet bills, toys, license fees, etc. for a dog. I will therefore not be adopting a pet. As a side note, I wish parunts would take stock of their finances before shitting a loaf. I don't have the money to give a dog the life he/she deserves, so I won't be adopting one just yet.

My beef is this: Why are there even pet fees at all? Why are there pet-free complexes at all? Some buildings could be pet free, due to severe allergies of tenants, and I would be ok with that. The main reasons I see listed are noise (barking, meowing, etc.), pet messes from bodily functions, and property destruction from clawing and chewing.

So, in my humble opinion, if someone has brats, that person should pay a brat fee. Kyds are just as smelly (if not more), noisy (whining, screaming, stomping), disgusting (painting the walls with poo they snatched from their own diapers, pissing themselves while potty training, vomiting, spilling food and drink, bleeding from scissor accidents, spilling glue, burning down the whole damn place by playing with matches), AND they destroy property by coloring on walls with crayons, throwing fits and breaking fixtures, slamming doors, hanging on cabinets, breaking windows, etc.

Not only should there be a fee to house the brats, but there also should be more child-free places for people under 55 to live. The only places that are child-free are either private residences in which one can rent a basement apartment or the senior living communities.

If anything like what I've proposed existed, all the breeders out there would just have a shit fit about discrimination.

And a side order of anecdote:

Just about a month ago, a pweshus chyld mistook my door for her aunt's. She walked right into my apartment. I had forgotten to lock my door, so shame on me. The kyd did come downstairs later to apologize. She felt horrible about it. I do have a bit of a heart, and I was glad to see that she had been brought up to know about propriety, AND she seems to have adopted the attitude herself. Kudos to her and her parunts for that bit. Although teaching the kid to count would be helpful in avoiding such issues in the future. Oh, and I've been locking my door religiously since. I will take my 95% of the responsibility right there.

It's your hell; you rot in it!

Unfortunately kids fall under that fair housing act shit. So you cannot charge more for having kids, although I did a walk through of a rental once and they announced they were a "no pet" rental. Changed my mind, but I could not help but notice that the hardwood and drywall was full of crayon marks and carved in curse words, the house had that "dirty baby" smell of piss and sour milk, and it was just dirty.

Kids and pets both damage homes but it is against the law to "discriminate"...at least until you turn 55.

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From a bottle cap message on a Magic Hat #9 beer: Condoms Prevent Minivans
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I want to pick up a bus full of unruly kids and feed them gummi bears and crack, then turn them loose in Hobby Lobby to ransack the place. They will all be wearing T shirts that say "You Could Have Prevented This."

I live in a NO BRAT - PET FRIENDLY condo

Yes, Reaperess thank you for bring this up. Although I'm pet free, I think it's fucking bullshit that apartment complexes are allowed to charge pet fees/prohibit pets and don't do the same thing for brats. Kyds can be WAY MORE DESTRUCTIVE than pets and, yet, it's illegal to ban brats. It fucking pisses me off so fucking much. AND some dogs are tiny and MOST(if not all) apartment pets are smaller than kyds. What the fuck kind of damage is a pet such as a declawed cat or a really small dog going to do compared to kyd? I can't fucking stand the double standard, and thinking about how unfair it is makes me want to punch a wall:sbx:mad2:cen.

I live under Elijah the Elephant Boy. He starts stomping at 5 am and is usually at it at 10 pm. I can hear he got a big wheel or some other kindercrap ride-on for Christmas, because the hardwood echos.

I bet his parents don't pay 30 a month in kid rent.

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From a bottle cap message on a Magic Hat #9 beer: Condoms Prevent Minivans
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I want to pick up a bus full of unruly kids and feed them gummi bears and crack, then turn them loose in Hobby Lobby to ransack the place. They will all be wearing T shirts that say "You Could Have Prevented This."

I think that the only way we can cope with increasing urbanization and a growing population is if we recognize that not everybody wants the same things, and that people will be less likely to go postal if they aren't irritated on a daily basis. For any activity that an apartment dweller can engage in which can have an impact on the neighbors, there should be housing where that activity is banned...as well as housing where it is not. So I should be able to live in a noise-free (which covers certain pets, younger children, and also drunken parties), smoke-free (so I can have my windows open, and not worry about it drifting in) building, and someone else should be able to choose a different combination. It should be in everyone's best interests for neighbors to have common feelings about such issues.

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kbc
I live in a NO BRAT - PET FRIENDLY condo

JEALOUS!!!

It's your hell; you rot in it!

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yurble
I think that the only way we can cope with increasing urbanization and a growing population is if we recognize that not everybody wants the same things, and that people will be less likely to go postal if they aren't irritated on a daily basis. For any activity that an apartment dweller can engage in which can have an impact on the neighbors, there should be housing where that activity is banned...as well as housing where it is not. So I should be able to live in a noise-free (which covers certain pets, younger children, and also drunken parties), smoke-free (so I can have my windows open, and not worry about it drifting in) building, and someone else should be able to choose a different combination. It should be in everyone's best interests for neighbors to have common feelings about such issues.

I completely agree with this. I am a smoker, and I'm not going to scream about smoke-free dwellings. Hubbs and I have headsets so our games aren't hideously loud for each other and for the neighbors. I'm no lightweight, but I step lightly out of respect for our downstairs neighbors. ZOMG, where's the respect? I know people can not be discriminated against because they have kids, but for the love of all that's holy, can they please keep their bratlings from screaming?

Your post actually reminded me of the housing options when I was in college: co-ed or not. smoke-free or not. quiet dorms vs. dorms where parties were allowed. Great system! Perhaps within the complex, there could be pet/no pet; kid/no kid; smoke/no smoke; quiet/party buildings. Of course, I understand that there are some apartment buildings in which there is only the one building, and this may not make sense other than having smoke free floors or something similar.

Would this type of set-up be within the non-discrimination laws? Child-free buildings would not be near the playgrounds or the child buildings. Child buildings would be the ones near the playgrounds. Pet buildings would have a dog-walk bag station. Pet-free buildings would be on the other side of the complex from the pet buildings. I guess it might be a nightmare to organize, though.

It's your hell; you rot in it!

Ha! I was looking at purchasing a condo last year and, while taking the tour, asked who-all lives in the units surrounding the one I was considering buying. Sure enough, the agent tells me it's against the law to disclose that info. My reply to that was something along the lines of "I oughta have a right to know who's around me before deciding to become a resident."

I see NO REASON why breeders shouldn't be forced to find out if their (potentially) future apt/condo/house is brat-friendly and whether there's a size limit and deposit in the event of damage, just like pet owners have to do. Seriously. And I'm willing to BET that childfree people would FLOCK to childfree communities that aren't just for the over-55 crowd. I'd be all over it as a business venture if it was allowed! I can just imagine the possibilities...:biggrin2

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rainbow
What the fuck kind of damage is a pet such as a declawed cat

Unfortunately, declawed cats can have problems like peeing and pooping outside the litterbox. The reason for this is they can have phantom nerve pain where the last digit of each toe was amputated. So when a declawed cat digs in a litterbox, it can have terrible pain. Thankfully declawing is outlawed in many countries, but unfortunately not in the USA. It really pisses me off when these landlords insist upon people digit amputating (declawing) their cats. Cats can be properly trained to use scratching posts, and they even make nail caps that cover the claws to prevent scratching damage.

Animals do way less damage than brats, that's for sure!

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- The human gene pool could use a little chlorine

M4P, I'm totally with you on how inhuman declawing is! Cats have a natural instinct to claw, so get them a scratching post! My cats always have a multi-level post with sisal rope for extra clawing pleasure, and they use it! Pets are like kids. If you treat them with love and respect, they don't destroy shit. My cats are very loved and pampered, I tolerate no shit from them, and they behave accordingly.

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M4P
Animals do way less damage than brats, that's for sure!

Damn right! I've had kittehs for 35 years and the worst thing that ever happened was one knocking down a bowl or vase - I don't even remember. Oh, and my eldest chewing my speaker wires when she was a kitten. But certainly ZERO damage to the house!

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reaperess

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yurble
I think that the only way we can cope with increasing urbanization and a growing population is if we recognize that not everybody wants the same things, and that people will be less likely to go postal if they aren't irritated on a daily basis. For any activity that an apartment dweller can engage in which can have an impact on the neighbors, there should be housing where that activity is banned...as well as housing where it is not. So I should be able to live in a noise-free (which covers certain pets, younger children, and also drunken parties), smoke-free (so I can have my windows open, and not worry about it drifting in) building, and someone else should be able to choose a different combination. It should be in everyone's best interests for neighbors to have common feelings about such issues.

I completely agree with this. I am a smoker, and I'm not going to scream about smoke-free dwellings. Hubbs and I have headsets so our games aren't hideously loud for each other and for the neighbors. I'm no lightweight, but I step lightly out of respect for our downstairs neighbors. ZOMG, where's the respect? I know people can not be discriminated against because they have kids, but for the love of all that's holy, can they please keep their bratlings from screaming?

Your post actually reminded me of the housing options when I was in college: co-ed or not. smoke-free or not. quiet dorms vs. dorms where parties were allowed. Great system! Perhaps within the complex, there could be pet/no pet; kid/no kid; smoke/no smoke; quiet/party buildings. Of course, I understand that there are some apartment buildings in which there is only the one building, and this may not make sense other than having smoke free floors or something similar.

Would this type of set-up be within the non-discrimination laws? Child-free buildings would not be near the playgrounds or the child buildings. Child buildings would be the ones near the playgrounds. Pet buildings would have a dog-walk bag station. Pet-free buildings would be on the other side of the complex from the pet buildings. I guess it might be a nightmare to organize, though.

I couldn't agree more.

Unfortunately many childed people won't agree. Think about it. Think about the number of instances in your life where you've been babystalked, bingoed, or publically harassed by parents and their offspring? For some people it's never about your right to peace, quiet, fair treatment, or anything along those lines. It's about them wanting to force a lifestyle choice upon you, and a big "fuck you" when you explain that you won't comply. They don't care about you enjoying a quiet meal at a restaurant. They don't care when they're babystalking you at a supermarket or party. What makes you think they'll care about you having quiet enjoyment of your own property?

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M4P

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rainbow
What the fuck kind of damage is a pet such as a declawed cat

Unfortunately, declawed cats can have problems like peeing and pooping outside the litterbox. The reason for this is they can have phantom nerve pain where the last digit of each toe was amputated. So when a declawed cat digs in a litterbox, it can have terrible pain. Thankfully declawing is outlawed in many countries, but unfortunately not in the USA. It really pisses me off when these landlords insist upon people digit amputating (declawing) their cats. Cats can be properly trained to use scratching posts, and they even make nail caps that cover the claws to prevent scratching damage.

Animals do way less damage than brats, that's for sure!

I'm totally against declawing too, and I didn't mean to come across as condoning cat declawing. I was just making the point that if a cat didn't even have claws, there's no fucking way it could do anywhere near as much damage as a kyd. Yes, it is an inhumane practice that causes a fuck ton of problems for cats and should've been outlawed in the US long ago but sadly still isn't. I haven't always been pet free, and one of my former cats died basically because her previous owner chose to declaw her.

Even with claws they don't do the damage a kid does. My Ragdoll claws the carpet though, so I keep the door to the BR closed when I am not home. However, he will never color on the carpet with a Sharpie, either.

I picked this place because there was no baby pool, no tot lot, no playground or kindercrap. They would have to walk a block or two to the schoolyard for that. I guess Elijah the Elephant Boy's parents did not get the memo.

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From a bottle cap message on a Magic Hat #9 beer: Condoms Prevent Minivans
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I want to pick up a bus full of unruly kids and feed them gummi bears and crack, then turn them loose in Hobby Lobby to ransack the place. They will all be wearing T shirts that say "You Could Have Prevented This."

I've been wondering, apartments that have allowed pets have universally charged additional fees to tennants who have them. In other words, those who have pets pay more.

Since landlords can't do this when there are children involved, do they simply raise the rents/fees on everyone? I wonder if including family status in fair housing laws has actually driven up the cost of rent housing because of the damage children do and the fact the landlords can't charge damage fees for children. Because of that, it's harder for young people to move out on their own, so they end up living at Mom and Dad's longer, not getting the opportunity to get some maturity being on their own.

JD

I had no idea that declawig a cat really meant amputating their digits! I have always been pro-declawing an indoor house cat, but now I would rethink that procedure. The things you learn here!

We love animals and are thinking of adopting a homeless kitten from a shelter in the future. We already feed the strays and one of them is tame and lets you pet her

If anybody has and ideas or websites on how to train a house cat to use a scratching post and not the dining room furniture, please let me know. This is the one big reason why we don't have a house kitty now. PM is fine.

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JohnDrake
I've been wondering, apartments that have allowed pets have universally charged additional fees to tennants who have them. In other words, those who have pets pay more.

Since landlords can't do this when there are children involved, do they simply raise the rents/fees on everyone? I wonder if including family status in fair housing laws has actually driven up the cost of rent housing because of the damage children do and the fact the landlords can't charge damage fees for children. Because of that, it's harder for young people to move out on their own, so they end up living at Mom and Dad's longer, not getting the opportunity to get some maturity being on their own.

JD

If i was a landlord, I'd require an incredibly high security deposit and charge all kid damage to the security deposit. I would also take photos of the apartment at the time of lease signing and have the tenants sign the photos, to verify that they agree with the images. Then, when their sproggen damage the floors, carpets, walls, etc.. I would have proof that it was them and charge accordingly against the deposit. It might be illegal to discriminate against parents in renting, but it's NOT illegal to charge damage against the security deposit, especially when you have the documents in writing and can prove it was them.

Peace, I would highly recommend you look into Soft Paws. They fit right over the claws, and they come in fancy colours.

Here is the link:

http://www.softpaws.com/

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supreme fatness
Peace, I would highly recommend you look into Soft Paws. They fit right over the claws, and they come in fancy colours.

Here is the link:

http://www.softpaws.com/

Thanks! I'm on the website now, looking at them. I love the multi colored 'claws." This is a good idea that we could use for a future house kitty. And they really work? wink

They definitely work! Both of my cats wear them. The first time you put them on is a little difficult, but after that they do not seem to care.

Then thank you for the site. we will be definately trying this in the future

I wanted to try them but I had trouble putting LeeNails on myself, much less squirmy angry cats.

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From a bottle cap message on a Magic Hat #9 beer: Condoms Prevent Minivans
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I want to pick up a bus full of unruly kids and feed them gummi bears and crack, then turn them loose in Hobby Lobby to ransack the place. They will all be wearing T shirts that say "You Could Have Prevented This."

The trick with my cats is to only do one paw at a time, then take a break, rather than trying to get all of them on there.