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!! Screens !!
We live in an apartment complex, so this is a security deposit issue.
Big bucks. Perhaps a thousand dollars. Our kittens are about six months old now, indoor calico kittens/cats. They love hanging out on the screened porch, which is ground level. They can eyeball people walking by, and listen to birds, that kind of thing. BUT they have learned they can climb up on the screens, even run around on these "walls" like Spiderman. They didn't do this very frequently even a month ago, but they certainly are doing it now. They are growing and getting heavier ... the screens are starting to show the damage. They've caused one small tear already. The screens in this apartment were almost pristine before the cats showed up. The screens aren't pristine now. If a grasshopper or some other bug lands on a screen, I have seen one of the cats jump from halfway across the porch and all the way up to the top of the screen, landing heavily, in an attempt to catch this bug. Will the apartment managers notice? I'd bet so; as I said, we're on the ground floor, near the entrance, and the two kittens draw attention (they're beautiful). I see people jogging by with their I-pods, and they will turn their heads to look at the great calico cats running up and down the screens. So ... I have banned them from the porch, for now, until the wife and I come up with some sort of strategy. Like spraying Bitter Apple on the screens each and every time they go out. Or taping up tin foil. Of course, the cats don't understand. They keep hinting that they'd like to go out on the porch again. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions? We do not want to be shelling out a thousand dollars to replace the landlord's screens. tom |
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!! Screens !!
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#3
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!! Screens !!
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#4
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!! Screens !!
wrote Of course, the cats don't understand. They keep hinting that they'd like to go out on the porch again. I love this line. I can just see them hinting at it. I'm sorry about your screens, but it sure sounds like your cats have a blast out there! Maybe price how much the animal-proof screen would cost and think of some sort of fund raiser? Go yardsaling/ junkshopping, buy cheap and sell higher on ebay? It would be nice if your landlord would help with the cost, but I can't see it happening. This is one of the reasons so many places do not allow pets. Which makes me wonder ... if the security deposit you paid might not cover the re-screening when you leave? I think you need to answer some specific questions before you will know the best solution. Like, measure the current screen, and price replacing it with animal-proof screen, for starters. -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#5
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Landlords & Pets (was: !! Screens !!)
In article ,
"cybercat" wrote: It would be nice if your landlord would help with the cost, but I can't see it happening. It worked for us. The landlord (admittedly an animal lover himself) considered it an upgrade. We split the cost 50-50, with him buying and installing the screen and us paying a slightly elevated rent each month until our part was paid off. The fact that we were tenants who took very good care of his property may also have played into the deal. When he sold the place, the new owners actually lowered out rent so that we wouldn't move. This is one of the reasons so many places do not allow pets. I don't know what proportion of renting pet owners have allowed their rental to be damaged by their pets, but horror stories both real and apocryphal have achieved legendary status among landlords. No wonder they resist renting to pet owners. That's too bad, because I believe responsible pet owners comprise the largest segment of the group. People who love their animals have a much greater obligation to care for their rental than anyone else, just to counter the paradigm left by others. If *that* obligatory ethic was the one that landlords thought they were typically dealing with, imagine how eager they would be to rent to pet owners! Landlord: "What luck! Here's a responsible dog/cat/bird/hamster/reptile/fish owner... what a desirable tenant!" Seriously, it benefits *all* pet owners to at least maintain, if not even improve, the property they rent from others. That doesn't necessarily means spending money. It could just mean creativity and a little elbow grease. -- "I wear boots when I play that ol' squeezebox Stompin' out rhythms 'till the headstones dance on their graves" |
#6
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!! Screens !!
Pet proof screens sound like your best bet. As a fellow cat lover I need to
let you know that all this climbing and tearing of the screens will eventually result in a hole big enough for the cats to exit out from. -- Barb Of course I don't look busy, I did it right the first time. |
#7
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!! Screens !!
wrote in message ps.com... We live in an apartment complex, so this is a security deposit issue. Big bucks. Perhaps a thousand dollars. Our kittens are about six months old now, indoor calico kittens/cats. They love hanging out on the screened porch, which is ground level. They can eyeball people walking by, and listen to birds, that kind of thing. BUT they have learned they can climb up on the screens, even run around on these "walls" like Spiderman. They didn't do this very frequently even a month ago, but they certainly are doing it now. They are growing and getting heavier ... the screens are starting to show the damage. They've caused one small tear already. The screens in this apartment were almost pristine before the cats showed up. The screens aren't pristine now. If a grasshopper or some other bug lands on a screen, I have seen one of the cats jump from halfway across the porch and all the way up to the top of the screen, landing heavily, in an attempt to catch this bug. Will the apartment managers notice? I'd bet so; as I said, we're on the ground floor, near the entrance, and the two kittens draw attention (they're beautiful). I see people jogging by with their I-pods, and they will turn their heads to look at the great calico cats running up and down the screens. So ... I have banned them from the porch, for now, until the wife and I come up with some sort of strategy. Like spraying Bitter Apple on the screens each and every time they go out. Or taping up tin foil. Of course, the cats don't understand. They keep hinting that they'd like to go out on the porch again. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions? We do not want to be shelling out a thousand dollars to replace the landlord's screens. tom Lol my cats have destroyed most of the screens here too. I'm not sure what your are like, but I'm pretty sure we can replace the flyscreen on ours. Ours are the security type; solid steel 'mesh' on the outside, flyscreen on the inside. There are several screws around the sides that DH says he can unscres, so we will just buy screen from the hardware when we move out, and re-do the damaged ones. |
#8
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!! Screens !!
wrote in message ps.com... We live in an apartment complex, so this is a security deposit issue. Big bucks. Perhaps a thousand dollars. Our kittens are about six months old now, indoor calico kittens/cats. They love hanging out on the screened porch, which is ground level. They can eyeball people walking by, and listen to birds, that kind of thing. BUT they have learned they can climb up on the screens, even run around on these "walls" like Spiderman. They didn't do this very frequently even a month ago, but they certainly are doing it now. They are growing and getting heavier ... the screens are starting to show the damage. They've caused one small tear already. The screens in this apartment were almost pristine before the cats showed up. The screens aren't pristine now. If a grasshopper or some other bug lands on a screen, I have seen one of the cats jump from halfway across the porch and all the way up to the top of the screen, landing heavily, in an attempt to catch this bug. Will the apartment managers notice? I'd bet so; as I said, we're on the ground floor, near the entrance, and the two kittens draw attention (they're beautiful). I see people jogging by with their I-pods, and they will turn their heads to look at the great calico cats running up and down the screens. So ... I have banned them from the porch, for now, until the wife and I come up with some sort of strategy. Like spraying Bitter Apple on the screens each and every time they go out. Or taping up tin foil. Of course, the cats don't understand. They keep hinting that they'd like to go out on the porch again. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions? We do not want to be shelling out a thousand dollars to replace the landlord's screens. tom I'm not sure how much area you are talking about, but would one of the following be practical? (1) Install plexiglas all around the bottom of the screens. It is clear, so would not look bad to people seeing it from the outside. It is slippery, so the cats could not climb it; but it would need to be high enough so they would not simply jump over it. It is also expensive, so I don't know if this would be practical for you. It could be removed when you move if the landlord does not want it. (2) Install metal mesh panels all around the perimeter -- the type of panels that you often see used as "kick plates" to protect screen doors. They would have to be on a support that would keep them in from your screens (not mounted directly to the screens). Otherwise, the cats would probably reach through and continue to damage the screesn. Again, it could be removed when you move. (3) Could you mount a separate set of screens inside the original set? The cats would still damage this set but could not reach the ones that belong to the apartment. Expense would not be great because this could be a do-it-yourself project with screening (purchased by the yard, if you prefer) mounted to a free-standing support. (4) Could you create a temporary "room within a room" on the balcony using the coated mesh that is sometimes used to prevent deer from entering property? It is barely visible. Again, it is expensive, but I would not think it would be a great expense for something the size of a balcony. (5) Finally, there are some outdoor "rooms" for cats, and one could be placed in the balcony. From your description, though, I'm not sure if this would be suitable. As someone else said, the problem is not only damage to the screens from the standpoint of looks and your deposit. You will eventually have the potential for the cats creating a hole large enough for them to climb through. MaryL |
#9
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!! Screens !!
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#10
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Landlords & Pets (was: !! Screens !!)
On Oct 22, 11:56 am, wrote: If *that* obligatory ethic was the one that landlords thought they were typically dealing with, imagine how eager they would be to rent to pet owners! Landlord: "What luck! Here's a responsible dog/cat/bird/hamster/reptile/fish owner... what a desirable tenant!" Seriously, it benefits *all* pet owners to at least maintain, if not even improve, the property they rent from others. That doesn't necessarily means spending money. It could just mean creativity and a little elbow grease. Good point. We don't know if the complex is tolerant of us pet owners because previous pet owners acted just that well! tom |
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