Cat in high rise flats

[funkiechicken]

Hello 

I had a council property temporarily a few years ago and the having animals was permitted, but they were limited. For instance you werent allowed to become a cat hoarder or anything  but i think that is also to maintain the standard of the property and as you've probably seen on TV the costs the council inccurs to clean and empty these places and usually the rehoming of 100 cats 
However, my property was in England. My mother rents a council flat (ground floor, but only one flat above) in Scotland and she had her cat at the time. He has sadly passed and she now has 2 small dogs. I know she wouldnt of needed to report to the council about the dogs as her tenancy is existing (as would your friends be) but they were aware of the cat when she signed the agreement.
I think as a responsible cat owner, other tenants probably wouldnt even know your little un was there  the one thing that causes complaints from others would be noise or smell coming from the flat (these apply to anyone not just pet owners lol)
Personally, i dont think there would be a problem. Housing Association Houses have different rules and are stricter but Councils are much more accomodating.
I think a quick check of your friends tenancy agreement should do it and of course the usual safety thing with regards to balconys, but i think it'll be fine 

I hope it goes well! Its hard especially when you just need somewhere until your on your feet and up and running, hope it works out 

[Hippykitty]

I'm sure you've checked, but is the person you'll be staying with really okay about the cat living in the same flat?
 
Could you find somewhere else?

Also, I can't help wondering whether a crying baby would disturb your cat if this is a sound he's not used to? Of course, lots of people with cats have babies; just a thought.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

You need to get the person you are staying with to check their tenancy agreement to see what it says about pets.  I live in a housing association flat and we are allowed pets (I have 2 indoor cats) but many do not.  It will vary depending on the council/housing association.  Otherwise check their website to see what it says about pets.  Often there is a clause saying pets allowed but only if you ask permission, or only if they do not go in and out of a communal entrance.

[tab]

Im in a high rise council and flat and lots of us in here have house cats. I agree you do have to be careful with windows and balconys but I had my balcony netted in to stop birds landing and to stop Amber flying...She did still climb the netting so wasnt allowed out there alone. Now The balcony has been made into part of the room so totally enclosed but the windows arent good for Amber so they are only open when Im sat at the desk
Good luck
love
Tab

[LouiseJ]

Hi

I had this problem when I moved into a leasehold flat but I was told the restrictions were mainly against dogs given they are noisier.

The main issue is impact on others and I really can't see how an indoor puss will bother anyone.

Good luck!!

[lola]

Smuggling him in would be the last resort. Although I do agree that no one would ever know. He's so quiet I hardly know he's there most of the time and I share a bed with him. The person I will be living with lives under a couple with a very noisy two year old that's running around until midnight so I don't see what my little guy could do to both people. Thanks for the advice.

[Tiggy's Mum]

I would ask the anonymous question first of all as you leave yourself in a bit of a situation if they say no and they know which property you're talking about.

I used to live in a flat and asked my landlord, which was a keyworker housing association, for permission for two cats - they said that the strict answer was No as the property had a communal entrance (mine was first floor of a two storey development) but I assured them the cats would be indoor only and wouldn't go in the communal hallway and offered an extra deposit and they said it was OK and gave me permission in writing. I'm not sure all HA's or councils would be so flexible though so you'll have to weigh up and take the risk of whether to smuggle him in (and if he doesn't cause a nuisance to any of the neighbours then who would know he is even there) or try and find somewhere else to stay!

Thinking about it I know a couple of the regulars on here who live in HA or council flats and have cats, I'm sure with permission so fingers crossed your particular council will allow them

[lola]

By a while I mean over a year. I was talking to someone who lives in the flat and they told me about a woman who had three cats and was told to give them up. Apparently she didn't have a litter tray for them and was allowing them into the open balcony to play. So I'm guessing it was more about the well being of the cats more than anything. I tried the site but calling up sounds like a good idea. I might try that.

[Tiggy's Mum]

You could have a look on their website to see if it mentions it or ring up as an anonymous enquirer to see if they allow tenants to have cats in their flats. How long is a 'while', are you intending on staying there long term?

[lola]

Hi thanks for the replies. Yes he's an indoor cat and will be nowhere near the window, but the problem is that I'm staying with someone and it's a council flat on the seventh floor. I just don't know if it's allowed to have cats. I know they don't allow dogs but I get that dogs need to go out. My cat only goes out to go to the vet.

[Tiggy's Mum]

Yep, agree with Sheryl - as long as the cat is happy being indoors in general then it makes no difference if it's a high rise or a ground floor flat. You can get window screens to 'catproof' the windows so you can still get some air in.

[sheryl]

As long as the Landlord/lady is okay there should not be a problem but you will need to be REALLY safety concious and not leave any windows open etc to keep the little one safe

[lola]

I'm moving to Scotland and the place I'll be staying for a while is a high rise flat. Can you have a house cat staying with you too? I've looked everywhere online but can't come up with an answer. Thought I would try here.