Rental plus cat - creative solutions?

[agoraphone]

My home is in a desirable part of Maine, with water access. It could do very well as a rental, and my wife and I would love to rent it out for a couple months of the year. The problem is what to do with the cat, who, like many cats, is a sensitive soul. We can't take her with us and we'd like to find a solution that includes her staying put. There are house sitting services where you can find someone to take care of the pets as part of them staying there for free, but they all seem to be in exchange for free stays. We'd ideally like to earn some money. Cat issue aside, we could probably earn $5k+ in the summer or $3k+ in the winter per month, so staying for free means we're essentially paying for a very expensive cat sitter. Reducing the rent in return for caring for the cat seems to make sense, but I don't know how to go about finding renters who would be open to this scenario.

Any thoughts or creative solutions to this problem?

[therethere]

Let me get this straight, so you want to have a vacation rental. With an included cat? At risk of sounding like a jerk, you must not really like that cat very much to want to leave it with strangers for months at a time. What if the cat gets out? What if they don't empty the litter box and it pisses all over? What if they are just plain mean to the cat? What if they actually hate cats or are allergic and mistreat it or lock it in a separate room for their stay.

I think you need to choose between rehoming your pet and having a vacation rental. I purposefully have not gotten another cat because I intend to travel long term at some point in the next few years.

Where are you going when you plan to rent out your home?

[Metalcat]

Yeah, this is a terrible idea.

First, if your cat is sensitive, how will it handle living with total strangers for months at a time?

Even if it does handle this well, on those pet sitting sites, you know that the people are looking specifically for a pet-sit arrangement. The site allows people to review others and give references. It's a risk, but less of a risk than listing it as a rental and hoping that whomever wants to rent it is actually a decent cat care person.

It also just makes the whole process of finding good tenants that much harder and more complicated.

I agree, either rehome the cat, take it with you, or find a trusted friend/family member to take the cat for a few months at a time, but only if the cat can handle that, which it might not be able to.

[PoutineLover]

Please don't do that to your cat. I would never leave mine with random strangers, especially not a rotating cast of them. If you can find one person you trust to rent for the whole period, and give them a discounted rate to account for the pet care, and they are a cat person with references, only then should you mayyybe consider it, but that's going to make your pool of candidates pretty small. There's a reason pet sitters get free stays, it's a serious responsibility with sad consequences for a living creature if it goes wrong.

[theoverlook]

NO. Take the cat with you or don't rent out the house.

[Sibley]

I have a better idea. Since you clearly don't care about the cat enough to think this through and realize how terrible this idea is, maybe you should find a good home for the cat and rehome it. Permanently. To someone who will actually take the responsibility for caring for this poor creature seriously.

I might actually be serious too. Terrible idea. Go rethink why you thought this might be a good idea.

[SunnyDays]

I agree, that’s a bad idea.  You would be playing Russian Roulette with your cat.  No amount of money is worth a traumatized animal.  Chances are you would be returning home to Big Problems if you leave her with random strangers.  Why can’t you take her with you, wherever you’re going?

[Blindsquirrel]

     Not sure what you can do? Not trying to be a jerk but most cat owners would never ever leave their cat. Would run into a burning house for mine without a second thought.

[Papa bear]

Make it an outdoor cat.  Or find a neighbor to watch it.


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[Metalcat]

Make it an outdoor cat.  Or find a neighbor to watch it.


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???

How would making a sensitive indoor cat and outdoor cat help anything???

Other than the fact that the cat would probably die, which is a pretty grim solution...

[Blindsquirrel]

 Whatever you do, do not turn a cat raised indoors into an outside cat. They will get lost very fast and they lack awareness of weather, cars, coyotes, eagles, raccoons, dogs, mean kids etc. There are no kill  cat shelters that are better options.

[Metalcat]

Whatever you do, do not turn a cat raised indoors into an outside cat. They will get lost very fast and they lack awareness of weather, cars, coyotes, eagles, raccoons, dogs, mean kids etc. There are no kill  cat shelters that are better options.

Well, it also just doesn't make any sense. You can't just shove a cat outside for a few months and leave the country, that's not even how outdoor cats work.

[agoraphone]

At risk of sounding like a jerk, you must not really like that cat very much to want to leave it with strangers for months at a time.

No you're wrong - I love my cat very much, which is why I'm reaching out to the community here for creative solutions to this problem.

First, if your cat is sensitive, how will it handle living with total strangers for months at a time?
Even if it does handle this well, on those pet sitting sites, you know that the people are looking specifically for a pet-sit arrangement. The site allows people to review others and give references.
It also just makes the whole process of finding good tenants that much harder and more complicated.

She's fine with strangers, just not traveling or being uprooted. Agree that it makes the process difficult, which is why I was hoping for some creative solutions from the friendly community here.

Please don't do that to your cat. I would never leave mine with random strangers, especially not a rotating cast of them. If you can find one person you trust to rent for the whole period, and give them a discounted rate to account for the pet care, and they are a cat person with references, only then should you mayyybe consider it, but that's going to make your pool of candidates pretty small.

I never suggested they would be "random strangers" - they would of course be vetted. And yes, the candidate pool would be small, which again is why I'm seeking creative solutions here.

I have a better idea. Since you clearly don't care about the cat enough to think this through and realize how terrible this idea is, maybe you should find a good home for the cat and rehome it. Permanently.

Well you win the prize for most presumptuous reply. Thanks for being so helpful!

Make it an outdoor cat. 

So very helpful! :-/


There are people out there who love cats and would also love to rent my house. I guess no one here has ideas on how to connect with them, and that's fine. Just thought I'd ask!

[therethere]

I love cats and would rent your house. But I'd want to stay there for free or really cheap. I have a hard time believing someone wants to rent your house, for 2k+ a month and be responsible for your cat. There's way too many what-ifs. It is a living being, not a TV you leave at the house and hope renters don't destroy it.

You seem completely blinded by the potential money opportunity. It's a horrible idea. You still haven't answered where are you going that you can't take your family member with you. If you want  vacation rental, then do what's best for your cat and rehome it or give it to a no-kill shelter. Cats are actually in high-demand right now. It will probably get adopted and loved unconditionally. Better to have it relearn one new set of people, rather than a rotating cast of vacation renters.

[Sibley]

I have a better idea. Since you clearly don't care about the cat enough to think this through and realize how terrible this idea is, maybe you should find a good home for the cat and rehome it. Permanently.

Well you win the prize for most presumptuous reply. Thanks for being so helpful!

Presumptuous wasn't what I was going for you. And what you posted is NOT compatible with having a healthy, living animal in the long term. If you care so much about the cat, why do you want to be seperated for several months anyway?

You got a pretty much resounding NO from the community. That should tell you something - and not just about your idea.

[Samuel]

Veterinary induced coma for the couple months you're away?

That seems about as realistic an option as expecting vacation renters to properly care for your beloved cat while paying full rental rates. 

[GuitarStv]

Make it an outdoor cat.

In North America there is no such thing as an 'outdoor cat'.

There are unfortunately many negligent cat owners who abandon their invasive pets because they're incapable of handling the responsibility of pet ownership.  Don't be one of them.

[MicroRN]

Realistically, I don't think you're likely to find people looking for a vacation rental who would care for your cat.  You might luck out.  I know as a college student or early career person, I would have happily watched a cat in exchange for reduced rent,  but I think you'll only find good, reliable people by word of mouth, and I doubt you could find enough to make it worthwhile.  I adore cats and have 4,  but at this point in my life,  I wouldn't take a vacation rental that included caring for someone else's pet.   I'd be too worried about vet emergencies or my kids accidentally letting it out.

On the matter of sensitive cats,  however,  I have one who has successfully moved many times (military family).  She's 16 and has 7 moves under her belt.   I get her a prescription for xanax and give it to her for 3 days before the move,  during the move,  and 3 days to a week after the move.   It really helps her cope with the stress and travel.

[Villanelle]

As others have said, this is a very bad idea.  And the fact that nearly every response is echoing that should make you stop and reconsider, rather than being defensive.

You an ask around and see if anyone you know knows of a college student or perhaps a newly divorced person who might be interested, but I highly doubt anyone is going to want to pay $2000 a month in rent for this situation.  And these would need to be people you either know, or perhaps are 1 degree of separation from--a friend's college son or a your neighbor's newly divorced son.  Not someone from the internet who assures you in a half an hour conversation that they just *adore* cats (in exchange for a greatly reduced rent on a vacation home), or a friend's buddy's cousin's ex-girlfriend. 

Frankly, doing this with someone you don't know--and "vetting" (no pun intended regarding your cat) someone doesn't mean knowing them--is a messed up thing to do to your cat and likely to get your cat quite neglected. 

[bacchi]

If your place is big enough, get a long-term roommate who gets along with the cat. They get the entire house to themselves when you're gone and you get a house/cat sitter. You won't make nearly as much as renting it out on airbnb or VRBO but the cat will be happy.

[Wintergreen78]

You have a cat and you want to travel without your cat. If you want to do that, find someone you trust who can take care of the cat. If you can’t find someone to take care of your cat, then don’t travel. That’s part of the deal of having a pet and being responsible. If you don’t want to be responsible for your pet, then you shouldn’t have it.

All this stuff about renting out the house is a question to answer once you figure out the important part of the situation.