selling - what to do with cat litter trays during viewings

lostinrates

Do try the litter I recommended, the moonlight clumping one, I find it much better than catsan for smells, and really, its very easy to clean too. Its about £14 for 20litres and I get it from a big pet chain. (it currently comes with annoying free litter try and scoop?

twinklefish

I've just sold my flat (in Scotland too) and had my cat, her bowls and tray all present during most viewings but tucked discretely away (the cat helpfully hid!) Most viewings were done early evening and I just didn't have time after work to hide these sorts of things. Just make sure everything is spotlessly clean and I'd warn viewers as they arrive that you have cats as you just never know how people feel about animals.

I've viewed quite a few houses recently and whilst several had pets present, only one smelt of animal (damp dog smell) and the poor thing wasn't even there. They had obviously tried to hide the smell and every room had one of those plug in things on full blast and the bathroom stank of bleach. Had a headache when I left!

Have you thought of arranging viewings for a weekend and lodging your cats with a cattery?

Tx

alyth

I would hope that, despite the market being in the dire straits it is, viewers have to understand that a house is also a home and as such people still have to live in it. Whilst I'm sure you won't show viewers round with washing hanging up,although I'm sure people do, it's difficult if you work, have pets/children and I would hope that people would take that into account. I am obsessively tidy, I could show my house now to be honest, but I still have a dog and 2 cats and having learnt my lesson with the cat bowls I'll always put them away now.

I work on the theory, rightly or wrongly, that someone will know the minute they walk into your house whether it's right for them. I try not to have my house smelling of cat or dog, I'm sure it does but I'm just used to it, but I do try and take measures to eliminate the smell as much as possible.

puddy

twinklefish wrote: »

I've just sold my flat (in Scotland too) and had my cat, her bowls and tray all present during most viewings but tucked discretely away (the cat helpfully hid!) Most viewings were done early evening and I just didn't have time after work to hide these sorts of things. Just make sure everything is spotlessly clean and I'd warn viewers as they arrive that you have cats as you just never know how people feel about animals.

I've viewed quite a few houses recently and whilst several had pets present, only one smelt of animal (damp dog smell) and the poor thing wasn't even there. They had obviously tried to hide the smell and every room had one of those plug in things on full blast and the bathroom stank of bleach. Had a headache when I left!

Have you thought of arranging viewings for a weekend and lodging your cats with a cattery?

Tx

re cattery: no way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

moggylover

poet123 wrote: »

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

Well, all I can say is that my pets do not pee my soft furnishings - unlike my friends husband when he is p*****! Bed (frequently) in her wardrobes, up the curtains! And he also throws up on the carpet quite frequently as well!

I am always most amused when people who know that I have 10 house cats (6 which do not go out at all) come here - and you can see them taking a deep breath on the doorstep and trying hard not to put a peg on their nose! Then a few moments later they will exclaim "well, it really doesn't smell of cats at all!" before turning beetroot when they realise what they have just said.

I use ordinary wood shavings for cat litter, my trays are cleaned several times a day (and are covered ones) - and any litter that gets caught on paws and fur is cleaned up. Poops are cleaned the moment they are done as I cannot bear the smell myself!

My home is cleaner than many pet free ones I have visited, but I would hope not so sterile as to be a long term health threat!

Why do the pet free consider themselves so much above pet owners that they feel they can be insulting and get away with it? It says much more about their own shallow-ness than about those of us with much loved pets in our HOMES!

You buy the house - not its contents! The sooner people wise up to that when looking for a house the sooner they can become serious moneysavers!

I learnt the lesson the hard way. As a first time buyer, MANY years ago (at 19 year of age) I was looking at four separate but identical houses on the same estate! I was foolishly swayed into buying the one with the neutral colour tones and nicest furniture - lol. We paid about £800 more for it (which was a hell of a lot on a house that was only £12,500.00 - and got a smaller garden than two of the others had had, as well as being in a busier spot than one of them which was decorated in horrible colours! The cost of redecorating the flaming lot in those days would only have been around £100.00 - and a week or so's work. Now I only ever look at the house, not its decor, not its furniture, and certainly not the dog which will not be left with me!

My house was on the market a couple of years ago (but mum got ill and we had to take it off for a while) and I had a lot of viewers - many of whom wanted one or the other of my soppy cats left with the house! Almost every single one of them went back to the Estate Agents and admitted they had been surprised that there was no smell of animals, so as long as there is no wee-soaked litter sitting in the trays (and the trays have been disinfected) then they will not smell.

My friends bedroom does - but she only has a p***-head for a husband, no pets!

kr15snw

Ahh the joys of pets Were thinking of moving next year and am currently wondering what on earth to do with our parrot. Perfectly friendly but his cage is rather large and hes VERY noisy. We have learnt to block it out, but when we have friends over they do nothing but complain. Lol.

Unfortunately you will always get people who will refuse to buy if they know there has been animals there. But what they dont know doesnt hurt them! You have to make you flat wantable (new word:P) to everyone. Pet lovers will not be put off by a house with no animals, but pet haters may be put off by a house with pets. So its normally best to get rid of them for the veiwings.

Maybe you could put them in a carry box for the veiwing and ask a neighbour to keep an eye on them? Ive never known a veiwing go on much longer than 30 minutes. Just make sure you give them loads of cuddles after

Soo, anyone got any ideas what to do with the bird? Lol.

halia

poet123 wrote: »

Sorry, but to people who dont have cats,houses which do always smell of cat. My SIL insists no one would know she had a cat,but this is not true.

Whether this affects their perception of the house would I suspect depend on how close to their perfect house it was,or whether thye were cat owners. Even being a cat owner is no guaranteee though, as if you think my house does not smell of cat,you may be put off by a house you consider is not as well cleaned as yours in that respect.

Yep! I had cats and could never smell it, but once we rehomed ours if I visit friends with cats I can smell it as soon as I walk in.

If your cats absolutly refuse to use the litter trays in another location then I'd go with the suggestion of popping them in a catbox for the viewing, much much safer!

I think its not so much a matter of people "looking past" a smell, its that if you have seen 4 houses in one day little things slip into your unconsciuos.

So part of your brain is logging one house as 'nice' because the windows were open, there were lovely fresh flowers, it was painted white and it 'felt' calm and peaceful. Your unconsciuos brain doesn't tell you the calm and peaceful air was down to those things and that you could easily do that yourself, it just bumps that house up in your mental list.

It registers another house as 'bit manky' because it smelt and the curtains were old and half closed. Again the unconsciuos doesn't tell you that you would have no cats and new curtains/clean windows. It just registers the smell and dark (both of which are powerful triggers to our unconsciuos mind for unpleasent/dangerous/damp places).

Also any smell/ bad decoration can be indicitive to the consciuos brain of a general attitude towards cleanliness and maintanance. (I'm not suggesting the OP isn't clean btw!)
But if I walk into a house that smells noticably of animals I'd immediatly think of things which would mean more work for me on buying the house or possible negotiation points like:
check for scratch marks on wallpaper
check for signs of damage in garden
fleas
mess stains etc on carpets

moggylover

kr15snw wrote: »

Ahh the joys of pets Were thinking of moving next year and am currently wondering what on earth to do with our parrot. Perfectly friendly but his cage is rather large and hes VERY noisy. We have learnt to block it out, but when we have friends over they do nothing but complain. Lol.

Unfortunately you will always get people who will refuse to buy if they know there has been animals there. But what they dont know doesnt hurt them! You have to make you flat wantable (new word:P) to everyone. Pet lovers will not be put off by a house with no animals, but pet haters may be put off by a house with pets. So its normally best to get rid of them for the veiwings.

Maybe you could put them in a carry box for the veiwing and ask a neighbour to keep an eye on them? Ive never known a veiwing go on much longer than 30 minutes. Just make sure you give them loads of cuddles after

Soo, anyone got any ideas what to do with the bird? Lol.

Actually, our local pet shop is baby-sitting a parrot whose home is for sale at the moment (mostly cos he is foul mouthed!) and he appears to be enjoying the holiday cos he is getting so much attention - he's a sulphur crested cockatoo and talks VERY well and apparently has managed to get himself quite a following of kids who pop in to say hello after school, and little old ladies who tut and giggle when he swears!

Do you have a local pet shop who might be prepared to help out?

I suspect our two pet rats or the degus might be more of a problem for us - but all my viewers last time made a lot of fuss of the cats, and also had to have cuddles with bunnies whilst inspecting the garden! Hopefully one just gets a nicer class of people looking whilst in the countryside!

Bungarm2001

How do you guys on here feel about this then...we once had prospective buyers come along to view our property with their two very ancient dogs...and expected us to put up with it while they trawled them around to see if the house was 'suitable' and safe for them... :eek: poor things.... all they wanted to do was stay in their car and sleep...! (the dogs I mean, but in retrospect, I think the very hen-pecked hubby would have wanted to join them!:D )

What would you have done if this had happened to you?? (sorry, bit off topic I know!)