Lay My Hat

Hi, can someone advise me on taking a cat, they say it is 3 years old, has travelled with them before to Scottish cottages and has never been a problem, they are asking for a week that is not that popular and seem to be a nice family (from what i can glean from the emails). Have dogs no problem, i know cats do not travel well in general, we take a £50 good housekeeping deposit, for what it's worth!
Thanks.

You need to consider future guests. Cat allergy is much more common than dog allergy and even after cleaning allergens can stay in the home for several months.

Many thanks, I hadn't thought of allergy as being worse than with dogs, I was just considering possible scratching and soiling, spraying in the house, also the smell after a litter tray being used all week, think we will decline, not worth the risk.

As a general rule, cat hairs tend to be finer than those of dogs - so are much harder to completely eradicate. I should know - I've got a cat and no matter how careful we are, cat hairs get INSIDE our clothing and that's without picking him up and cuddling him And he's a DSH (domestic short hair), with no fluff and not a thick coat.

Cats generally are very territorial and both genders like to mark "their" territory, and I'm sure this cat would happily rub against door frames, various items of furniture and leave grubby marks behind - at cat height! Our wooden sideboard has a pale streak where the cat has rubbed the colour out of the wood. We've restained it several times, but it's a bit like painting the Forth Bridge - it doesn't last.

Your good housekeeping deposit of £50 does not seem very much - if any damage was caused it would not cover much in the way of costs, and it's not high enough to be a deterrent. Particularly as you take dogs anyway, perhaps you should consider increasing this?

Many thanks, I hadn't thought of allergy as being worse than with dogs, I was just considering possible scratching and soiling, spraying in the house, also the smell after a litter tray being used all week, think we will decline, not worth the risk.

And climbing up your curtains..........

zebedee wrote:

Many thanks, I hadn't thought of allergy as being worse than with dogs, I was just considering possible scratching and soiling, spraying in the house, also the smell after a litter tray being used all week, think we will decline, not worth the risk.

And climbing up your curtains..........

Are they male or female and have they been 'done'? If not, I'd deny immediately, not that I'd accept them anyway. I don't think cats enjoy travel.

PW in Polemi wrote:As a general rule, cat hairs tend to be finer than those of dogs - so are much harder to completely eradicate. I should know - I've got a cat and no matter how careful we are, cat hairs get INSIDE our clothing and that's without picking him up and cuddling him And he's a DSH (domestic short hair), with no fluff and not a thick coat.

Cats generally are very territorial and both genders like to mark "their" territory, and I'm sure this cat would happily rub against door frames, various items of furniture and leave grubby marks behind - at cat height! Our wooden sideboard has a pale streak where the cat has rubbed the colour out of the wood. We've restained it several times, but it's a bit like painting the Forth Bridge - it doesn't last.

Your good housekeeping deposit of £50 does not seem very much - if any damage was caused it would not cover much in the way of costs, and it's not high enough to be a deterrent. Particularly as you take dogs anyway, perhaps you should consider increasing this?

Many thanks for very helpful reply, I have declined them, she was quite evasive when I asked for details. The GHD was really just a token to deter people smoking and to be careful with dogs and so far (2 years, seasonal April to November), we have had no problem. I realise it is an insignificant amount if serious damage is done but have also been advised that people don't like extra costs on top of the basic price. So far, with the dog clients, we have hardly been able to tell a dog has stayed there, much more mess after little children!