how do i convince my mom that i NEED a kittie?

Question

my mom is kind of allergic to them, but not alot. i offered for it to live in my room, and she wouldnt have to go in there alot so it wouldnt hurt her. also, she has a rented house, and the landlord said no pets. still, my mom has always been one to bend the rules a little. if i get one i said it'd be short-haired, house trained, and id pay for all its food ect. ect. the landlord has never come up there before. honestly! and if they did, it'd be easy to hide the cat. ive done it before for a straight week and no one knew!! the landlord wouldnt come up there and investigate my room top from bottom anyways. so, anything else yall think yall could add on top of it.

p.s. no, im not going to offer to let her name it. she named her children jobeth and wade. cant do it.

ew... 20? cant do that neither. but notice, i didnt say

"how to convince me i dont need a kittie"

come on yall. help me out. ive got this whole landlord thing covered! if the landlord comes, someone had to call, right? like i said, they havent come by before. and if no one called, its because theyre behind on the rent. they're never behind on the rent, and now that my moms getting remarried it definately wont happen.

so, the landlord comes by. but guess what? no kitty in the house. we're (me n the kitty) at grandmas house, along w/ its stuff, which isnt much (litterbox could be emptied outside and stashed somewhere like under the bed and i can just take the two food dishes and the toys w/ me) and wait for them to leave. as for the cat hair, why would they go in my room and look through my stuff?

Answer 1

regardless of how well you care for a cat, an outsider will always be able to tell there's a cat living there, because of the smell. i know this because i owned a cat, i never thought the house had a smell, until i went into other people's houses where cats lived - even after they moved, you can still smell it.

please don't try to get your mom in trouble with the landlord or make her allergies flare up. you don't "need" a cat. someday you'll be out on your own and you can have 20.

Answer 2

It is better for the kitty to wait until you and your mom are living where you are allowed to have a kitty. Imagine if the landlord had to come in to fix an emergency problem and found the kitty. Then the kitty would have to find a new home or your mom would have to come up with the money for the fine. That isn't fair to mom or the kitty. In the meantime, you can start saving your money to make a vet fund for the kitty's shots, food and checkups. You can volunteer to help with neighbor's cats, or strays. I have had my kitty since I was 10 years old and I am 28 now, so remember it is a really long committment. You have to be prepared to pay many pet deposits when renting, and traveling with or without kitty is no fun at all.

Answer 3

Your mom is allergic, which means that cat will cause problems to her health. The landlord forbids it, which means you could get evicted and become homeless. You want to restrain the cat's natural curiosity by keeping it confined to a single room, which is downright cruel. How would you feel if you were grounded to your room for your entire life? Not to mention living with a litter box in your bedroom - Yuk!

Sorry, but your Mom is right. You may want a kittie, but if you're completely honest with yourself, you'll see that it just isn't fair to your mom, the hypothetical cat or even to you.

If you really want animal companionship, why don't you see about volunteering at your local animal shelter or getting an after school job as a dog walker/pet sitter? That would be a good way to prove to your mom that you are responsible so that maybe you can talk to her about getting a pet that is appropriate to your circumstances.

By the way, a cat isn't cheap. Food (which is pretty expensive if you provide your cat the kind of quality diet it deserves) is just the beginning. Don't forget litter box, litter, toys, bedding, carrier for trips to the vet, vaccinations, preventative parasite medication, surgical costs to spay/neuter, registration fees, damage to the carpet & furniture (inevitable if you try to keep the poor thing cooped up in a room all it's life), treatment of unforeseen medical problems, etc, etc... It adds up pretty quickly.

Answer 4

Sorry, but you're asking for trouble, and I don't think you understand the responsibilities that come with being a responsible pet owner.

First, your landlord said no pets. Yes, that's a bad policy. But it is the policy. If you get a pet and the landlord finds out, he can either evict your family or force you to get rid of the pet. That would not be fair to the pet. Pets are not amusements that you can discard when they become inconvenient. They are living creatures deserving of love and respect.

In addition, it's nice that you say you would pay for the cat's food, but that's not enough. I have never known of any child who can afford to take care of a cat or dog. Not only must you pay for food, but you must pay for litter. And you must be the one to feed the cat every day, as well as scoop the poop every day and change the litter every week. You will need to clean up vomit. Then you have to pay for vet bills. Not only must you pay for an annual exam and vaccinations, you must pay for any emergencies, illnesses, or injuries that WILL arise. And just how are you going to be able to even transport the cat to the vet?

Also, you would need to play and interact with the cat every day. You can't just go to school, hang out with your friends, and see your cat when you get up in the morning and go to bed at night -- especially if you are going to keep the cat in a bedroom.

Last, you don't NEED a cat.

Answer 5

whether or not you think you can hide the cat is irrelavent, the fact that even if you can hide the cat for 5 years, once found out, the land lord can kick you and your mom out of the house without so much as a 2wk notice to get out.

You are to young to be able to cover all bills, should your cat become deathly ill, or get out and hit by a car, you can not cover a 200$ vet bill. And just because your mom is getting married does not mean that more money will be coming in, her tax bracket will go up, meaning more money will be going OUT.

If your mom is allergic, deal with it. I know you want to know how to convince your mom to get a cat, but reality is, she rules the roost, she controls the money (you get), and she provides the shelter, food, and clothing. So if she truely does not want a cat, then you are not going to get one.

And if your mom is truely allergic, try not being so selfish and think about her HEALTH instead of your WANTS.

Answer 6

Your doomed on the cat idea, Have you ever considered owning a ferret, They live in cages you could totally monitor it better in your room. They are sweet and loving little guys when you raise em right. So maybe you might have a better chance with something that wont run all over the house.

Answer 7

Sorry... but you mom is right. If she signed an agreement to not have a pet it would be dishonest to go ahead and get one. I love cats too, but just imagine how heart broken you'd be if you did go ahead and get one, only for the landlord to find out and make you get rid of it! Wait until you are in a situation where you can get one without having to sneak around.

Answer 8

This a little tricky to answer. Allergies are nasty things to have, particularly to kitties. I have yet to find a doctor that can deal with this effectively. Some people can react so badly that it induces asthma. Medication for your mom may be necessary and expensive, but it would be really nice not to take meds.

I am allergic, but I have kitties, and I also have hardwood floors, leather furniture, anything that can be wiped down plus allergy meds. My choice. Perhaps Seattle could answer this - I would love to hear.

This is a discussionn you and your mom have to have. Her health could be at risk.

Good luck.

Answer 9

I'm so sorry but i have to disagree i bought a £50 kitten with my birthday money they require too much care to be kept in a room all the time and your mum would "smell" the mess it would have done in the litter tray my mum gave my £50 kitten away when she found him so i lost £50 its not worth it get one when your older when it can be cared for properly and its not worth risking your home and your mum on

Answer 10

Top 10 Ways to Decrease Your Allergies to Cats!

From Mercia Tapping

Allergic to Cats? Keep the cat but reduce those allergy symptoms

Naturally, if we were sane and rational about our allergies, we would stay away from anything that makes us sick. Many of us, however, are not sane and rational about pets, especially our cats. Although cat allergy symptoms may never go away completely, they are manageable.

Remember this basic fact about cat allergens. They need to be airborne and you need to breathe them in for you to have an allergic reaction to them. Cat allergen is very small so it remains suspended in the air longer. There is also a high rate of recontamination (because the cats are running around the house). Here are some recommended steps to decrease your (or your partner's) cat allergies.

1. No more cats sleeping on the bed.
Sorry, this is a small price to pay for allergy relief. If you get your symptoms under control by all means invite them back, but give yourself a break while you are trying to abate your symptoms.
2. Keep them out of the bedroom altogether.
Close the bedroom door to try and keep the cat allergen down in the bedroom. Your bedroom should be a sanctuary from allergens. So tempt your cats to sleep elsewhere during the day.
3. Wash all bedding in 140-degree hot water at least twice monthly.
This eliminates both dust mite and cat allergen (because we know some of you will still let them sneak up on the bed every now and then).
4. Use HEPA air filters in rooms where your cats frequent.
Since cat allergen is so difficult to remove, a good HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) air purifier is essential for cleaning the air in your home. HEPA air purifiers do require continued filter replacement, but when push comes to shove and you are in need of allergy relief, a good HEPA filter will do it for you.
5. Vacuum up cat allergen with a high grade HEPA vacuum cleaner twice weekly.
Vacuum walls, carpet, flooring, chairs, and furniture...everywhere. Use the hand tools on the vacuum. Cat allergen particles are very small and invasive so you really have to do a thorough job. Good hand tools on your vacuum cleaner are the answer here. Also, installing a central vacuum will help pick up the rest.
6. Use a vapor steam cleaner to clean your home.
In addition to vacuuming, vapor steam cleaners are now proven by research to be extremely helpful in killing off the cat proteins/dander, which are embedded in your carpets and upholstery. Steam cleaners provide a chemical-free way of cleaning and killing dust mites, bacteria, mold spores and cat allergen.
7. Wash your hands immediately after petting your cat and do not rub your eyes.
Rubbing your eyes can result in itchy eyes for hours. Use a strong anti-bacterial soap to avoid this problem.
8. Clean your cat.
Some people wash their cats to reduce the amount of cat allergen that is released from their cat into the air, but research seems to be conflicting about its effectiveness. Allerpet, a well-known brand of liquid that reduces cat allergen in the air, can be applied to your cats' coat and is available from your local veterinarian. Alternatively, you can get a micro fiber cloth and just damp rub down the cats' coats to rid it of visible dander. The majority of cats would prefer this to the highly dreaded bath.
9. Confine your cats to one area of the house.
I know this will be difficult for some people but this at least controls the cat allergens to a separate place where you can concentrate your air purifier and cleaning efforts.
10. You DO NOT have to get rid of your CAT!
If you do a good job with step numbers 1-9, your cat allergies should be significantly decreased. Keeping a cat when you have allergies takes a concerted effort, and is only for those who are nutty enough about their cats (like us), to go to all this trouble.

Mercia Tapping is the president of allergybuyersclub.com and a true cat lover who has learned to control her cat allergies with the steps mentioned above. There is a Cat Solution Buyers Guide on her web site that recommends the best rated products for reducing cat allergens.