selling - what to do with cat litter trays during viewings

puddy

well i certainly wont be putting the cats out, due to being at the top floor with no garden!! they are house cats and have never been out, theres no where for them to go outside.

however, i fully accept that my flat will smell of pets, i know i cant smell it, but i accept that other people will. i dont accept that it puts people off the property per se but i know it affects the ambience. i think i will get new trays, i have the ones with lids anyway, but to be honest, a brand new turd is not minimised by the lid, its still enough to make your eyes water and just have to be vigilant. i like the idea of having a storage box to put the old ones in for half an hour. my problem is that my older cat is diabetic so currently, whilst her medication is stabilising her, she is peeing constantly which makes the trays soaking,, urgh

lostinrates

I ask non pet owning (and very close) friendsm the minute they step in the place....'Do you smell cat.....'.

It is possible for the place not to smell of pets.

poet123

They really dont want to hurt your feelings,sorry....

alyth

emm, I was the person who posted about the cat bowls!

To be honest, and I've thought about this a lot this week after the lady complaining about the cat bowls. There's nothing you can do to eradicate the fact that you have animals in your house - I have 2 cats and a bloody great rottie! My house does smell of animals, no amount of febreeze or air freshner will get rid of the smell. I put the litter tray in one of my outbuildings, the dog's bowls go there too, the cat bowls will now obsessively be put away in a cupboard.

I don't have the answer to this, and like I say, I've thought about it a lot since the viewers' comment. I suppose if someone falls in love with your house then they will buy it no matter what. When we viewed this place they hadn't made the beds - literally thrown the duvets over the bed! But I saw past that an realised this was the place for me.

I'd second Willow's comment, if someone wants your house then they will go for it no matter what. I'm actually sick of the whole selling business already, after that viewer's comment, I'm separating, ex has moved out but I'm moving out next month and he's moving back in, so it's not desperate that we sell, although I would like the money out of the house! I work in property and the market is stuffed, nothing is moving at the moment, people aren't even viewing up here.

Kat_9Lives

I think serious buyers will look beyond the pets they perhaps wouldn't have themselves. Ok your home may smell of pets even if the pet lovers can't smell it (I'm in the latter group btw) but you're not including a used litter tray in the sale are you?

If your soft furnishings especially carpets are clean right minded buyers will understand you will take the cats away when you move and the smell will be erradicated very soon after.

I would like it noted though as someone that has 2 housecats that people with no pets have homes that smell, not bad smells they just smell different. Perhaps just different cleaning materials etc but different all the same. If a home looked clean enough and well kept yet had a "different" smell it wouldn't put me off buying it.

Felicity

If you are wanting opinions .... I wouldn't buy a house that had previously had cats in it unless I absolutely loved it. I just don't like them and I CAN tell a house that had cats in them. To me, it just makes the place, I don't know, dated, smelly, dirty .... (I know that is probably not the case, but perception is everything in house selling).

I am sorry and I really don't mean to offend, but that is my opinion.

If you really don't think your house has the feel/smell of cats in it, I would remove all traces of them before any viewers come around.

If I was selling a house, I would get rid of all traces of any animals in it.

Felicity

Oh, sorry, I meant to add, my reason would probably be the carpets. I would feel as though I needed to recarpet the place (even though, as I am sure yours are lovely. I would still feel the need).

poppysarah

Can you put them somewhere you can screen off?

It's almost certain the cats will go and do their cat thing the very second someone comes to visit though.

Could you take them to a friends for a day if you could get several viewings all on one day?

lostinrates

poet123 wrote: »

They really dont want to hurt your feelings,sorry....

LOL, these aren't that sort of friend. Some of my circle, we are quite brutal with each other, lol.

poet123

Still not convinced,sorry!!all cat owners say this but it is simply not true unless you have no soft furnishings at all.