Is it wrong for a landlord to allow cats but not dogs?

Question

My landlord will allow us to have a cat, even two cats but no dogs. What's the difference?

Answer 1

the landlord has his reasons;

dogs are noisier than cats by far
dogs can sometimes be more destructive (although I have seen some destructive cats!)
not everyone is responsible enough to walk their dogs.. and they end up pottying in the apartment
dogs are a liability.. the landlord just may not want to pay for the extra insurance to cover dogs on the property.

Answer 2

At my mom's house, her dogs seemed to do more damage to the building than the cats did. The cats, unless they were sick, peed and pooped in the litterboxes. The dogs were supposed to go outside, but one of them was afraid of going out in thunderstorms, so would end up doing her business indoors during extended bad weather. And even when the dogs do go outside like they should, not every dog owner will pick up the poop, making it nasty for the grounds crew to do their work, and other residents to use the lawns. Dogs also shed more, and smelled more. The cats would scratch on scratching posts, but the dogs scratched the heck out of some good solid wooden doors. Mom's dogs didn't bark excessively, but I have lived near some folks whose dogs barked enough to be pretty annoying. Cats that do a lot of caterwauling - well, I have seldom been able to know if they were someone's pet or just strays - and they stop caterwauling once they mate. And if they are fixed, they are rarely a noise nuisance. Dogs can and will bark all night, every night. Or all day, every day. Yes, some of this depends on how the owners of the dogs treat the dogs, and if they get trained right.

Check the renter's rights in your area, but it probably is legal for the landlord to choose whatever restrictions on pets he feels is most appropriate. While I am sure you are a very responsible dog owner, your landlord probably has no way of knowing that. Even if he did know that you are responsible, he would not be able to tell someone who will not be that responsible that they cannot have their dogs if he has allowed you to have yours.

Answer 3

The landlord is entitled to allow or disallow any sort of animal they do or don't want their tenants to have. Cats and dogs are different which is probably their reason for not wanting you to have a dog. Dogs make more mess, dig up the yard, bark etc.. whereas cats are just nice quiet low maintenance animals.
You will either have to:
1. move house to where you can have a dog
2. forget about getting a dog
3. get a dog but hide it from landlords of they don't come by much they won't know it's there

Answer 4

"Wrong" is really subjective. Dogs and cats can cause different issues so I can understand allowing one and not the other. Dogs can be much noisier than your average cat and can easily destroy a lawn if they are allowed to urinate and defacate on the grass.

In our apartment building we have both cats and dogs - the dogs tend to be quite noisy some days, I've found dog poop in the hallways and elevators before, the grass by the front doors is completely dead because people let their dogs pee there and the grass behind the building is quite soiled with dog poop that irresponsible owners chose not to pick up. Comparatively, the only issues I've noticed with cats in the building is that one or two apartments smell a little.

Both types of animals may destroy rugs and pee on the walls.

Answer 5

I have been a professional housekeeper for over 20 years. I have been unable to get rid of cat odors and saw the damage cats do with scratching woodwork, just as dogs do. I've been woken up in the middle of the night by screaming cats fighting and dogs barking. I've seen pee stains and smelled dog and cat pee and poop. I've concluded that people are sometimes more messy than their pets and some people are cat people and some are dog people. I am a dog person and wouldn't rent to a person with cats. I think the cats do more damage. But it's only an opinion...up to the person in charge. Advise...own your own house so no one can tell you what to do. :)

Answer 6

It is up to state and local laws but I doubt it is wrong. Not to stir up a hornets nest (but being the dog lover that I am and I cannot resist coming to their aid) but I must post in opposition of a previous post. Although I have never been awoken by a cat's meowing, I have been woken up by other tenants children ... should they be disallowed?! Sorry .. could not resist! Cats can be destructive in other ways depending upon the irresponsibility of the owner though. It is possible to be woken up by them if allowed to be outdoors and un-neutered or un-spayed. While in heat, a female can be very vocal and loud and in turn the toms (un-neutered cats) can disrupt via cat fights over the attentions of the un-spayed cat. Also if allowed to be outside, they can return to same places to urinate and defecate and in wet/warm weather the stench can be over-powering for a tenant with an open window.

Had to stand up for my doggies gang!

Each have their pro's and con's but the landlord has the option to allow or dis-allow any animal whether small pocket animals like rats, cats, snakes or dogs!

I have to agree with another post though that states liability has a lot to do with their decisions. They have to carry insurance on their homes/buildings and some insurance carriers will cancel policies over specific breeds or bite/injury claims.

Answer 7

It's up to the landlord, but I personally believe cats make more mess...

...but maybe the landlord is more concerned with liability.

Cats leave an odor behind that requires that the unit be gutted out if removal is desired, so I think it's more about injury liability.

Answer 8

It's probably because dogs bark and often will keep it up all day, especially when the owners aren't home. The owners aren't bothered by the barking because they aren't there but the neighbors certainly are. I don't know about anyone else but to me, two of the most annoying noises in the world are crying babies and barking dogs.

Answer 9

in the experience that your cats are compelled to stay outdoors each and every of the time, they are going to could desire to apply the condo complicated flower beds/ lawns as their muddle container each and every of the time. and in step with hazard combat with somebody else's criminal cat, or consume someones puppy chook or something. you're able to look greater to blame, being up front with the condominium agent, ask if , with one greater deposit, you are able to save the two cats, clean, interior, employing a muddle container this is wiped clean two times an afternoon..and out of all human beings's way. furnish to come across a solid homestead for one, if there is any criticism interior the destiny, and teach your landlord which you're honest and to blame. solid success.

Answer 10

i think so,a cat can wander more then a dog,and carries more diseases(like the plague)the land lord probably sees that cats poop in box's and dogs don't and doesn't see the extra problem of disposing of cat poop and litter.probably thinks dogs are to noise, barking and such,but doesn't see how noise a bunch of cats can be.