Is there a cat in my not-pet-friendly house??

Answered!
Kia272
Level 10
Takoma Park, MD

Is there a cat in my not-pet-friendly house??

HELP! Need your thoughts please.....

 

Here's the situation: 

Got a reservation request about 7 weeks ago. It seemed to be from an enthusiastic young man who wanted to come to my area for a weekend getaway with his girlfriend to explore the area. I approved it. His initial correspondence was pleasant and enthusiastic. He is brand new to AirBnB. 

 

The day of his reservations- Friday, December 20th, he messages me in the early morning hours to ask if they can bring their "well behaved kitty." I am not listed as pet friendly, and I say no, with an excuse about future guests and allergies. They show up Friday night. I let them in and spend a minute or two explaining the heat, etc. and then leave them alone.

 

The next day, Saturday, I notice that all of the curtains are drawn as tight as can be. My spidey sense is on alert. You don't come to the country and make a cabin as dark as possible for no apparent reason. I would never enter the cabin without guest permission during a stay, so I haven't....but they did go out yesterday and I made my best attempt to peer in the cabin. I cannot see a thing. Those curtains remain pulled as tightly as possible. So of course I'm thinking that they brought the cat. What are your thoughts and what can I do?

 

I Obviously can't outright accuse them...but I'm highly suspicious. I am debating going in if they go out today. If I found a cat I would ask them to leave immediately. 

 

HELP!!

 

1 Best Answer
Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@Kia272 

 

Something similar just happened to @David-and-Annie0 here:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Guests-violated-our-no-pets-policy/m-p/1187691

 

Annie's review of the guest, after the fact, is spot on and she handled the situation very well, in my opinion.

 

It is best not to react until you have evidence. You peering through the windows or entering the space unannounced could cause a lot more harm to the future of your listing if the guest gets Airbnb involved.   

 

 

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61 Replies 61
Dimitar27
Level 10
Sofia, Bulgaria

10% "Cat" possibility.

60% - "meth" laboratory or drug distribution

30% -people, that just like shady rooms.

@Dimitar27 wrote:

10% "Cat" possibility.

60% - "meth" laboratory or drug distribution

30% -people, that just like shady rooms.


 

 

That's a lot of trouble and limited time for a mobile meth lab. It's also the winter solstice, so the shortest days of the year. I'm thinking cat.


Ann783
Level 10
New York, NY

I'm thinking cat too. I would try to be around during or before checkout. Also, if there is a cat what do you do with that information? Charge extra? Give them a bad review? Both? 

We use to live on Homeaway. Guest brought 2 dogs. Our neighbors got close enough to take pictures of them romping in the front yard. I didn't kick them out or mention it - until they left. The site allowed security deposits and we kept it to cover the cost of extra cleanings and ruined rugs. They left an awful review which Homeaway allowed to stand, despite our photographic evidence of them breaking the rules. 


@Ann783 wrote:

I'm thinking cat too. I would try to be around during or before checkout. Also, if there is a cat what do you do with that information? Charge extra? Give them a bad review? Both? 

We use to live on Homeaway. Guest brought 2 dogs. Our neighbors got close enough to take pictures of them romping in the front yard. I didn't kick them out or mention it - until they left. The site allowed security deposits and we kept it to cover the cost of extra cleanings and ruined rugs. They left an awful review which Homeaway allowed to stand, despite our photographic evidence of them breaking the rules. 

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking cat too. The one time I had to call AirBnB about somebody bringing a dog, I got the impression that they would remove a bad review left by somebody who broke the rules. I won't be around when they check out, but I have a neighbor who will come in and check on everything. If there's cat evidence, I will absolutely charge them out of the security deposit for a cleaning. Who freakin' travels with a cat?? It's a three day reservation. A cat can be left on its own for three days no problem. I'm super annoyed. Honestly, if the curtains weren't drawn the way they are, I wouldn't have thought they were hiding anything. So weird...


 

Laura2592
Level 10
Frederick, MD

@Kia272  Maybe they are just running around naked? 

 

As a pet friendly host I can say with 100000000% certainty that my human guests do far more damage than any cat or dog. The concern about pets in the space is often very overblown on this forum. Nonetheless, hosts can choose to accept or reject whatever they wish, and its up to the guest to abide. But its too soon to start freaking out over a possible cat. It just makes you look unhospitable if you are trying to peer into their windows with no evidence. Wait until you have an actual reason to accuse them.

 

Send your nice young couple my way. We have a similar listing and always welcome pets 🙂


@Laura2592 wrote:

@Kia272  Maybe they are just running around naked? 

 

As a pet friendly host I can say with 100000000% certainty that my human guests do far more damage than any cat or dog. The concern about pets in the space is often very overblown on this forum. Nonetheless, hosts can choose to accept or reject whatever they wish, and its up to the guest to abide. But its too soon to start freaking out over a possible cat. It just makes you look unhospitable if you are trying to peer into their windows with no evidence. Wait until you have an actual reason to accuse them.

 

Send your nice young couple my way. We have a similar listing and always welcome pets 🙂

 

 The potential "damage" done by a pet is not necessarily physical. It is extremely difficult to erase the presence of a cat once one has been in a house. I personally am allergic to cats, and have chosen not to have them on my property in consideration of future guests who may also have allergies. I also think of cats as pets that don't travel well. They are more likely to pee or scratch, than say...a dog. However, if they did bring a cat, it's more about the dishonesty and deception than the actual cat. There is no "freaking out" happening. Their behavior is furtive and weird. You can happily manage your property the way you see fit, and I'll manage mine as I see fit. One person's "overblown" is another person's legitimate concern. 


 

@Kia272 as a guest if I saw my host trying to peep in my windows when my curtains were closed I would not leave a kind review. If you know anything about a cat, you know that a closed curtain will not prevent them from watching "cat tv" which is any window where there might be a view of birds or other creatures in the yard. You are a new host and I understand the concern but I think you need to give your guests a little space. If it ends up that they broke your rules deal with it once you have evidence and don't amp up your anger prior. Its not worth it. 

@Laura2592  you clearly never had a dog pee all over your rugs and bedding and chew up your furniture.  I hardly think that the concerns of hosts  in regards to pets is "overblown" on this forum.   If I decide that I want to keep my Airbnb pet-free for whatever reason, I expect this decision  to be honored by my guests. 

@Ann489  I had a dog chew through a door frame  and almost through my antique door while guests left him locked in the laundry room while they were out at a wedding for 8 hours. Cost several hundred to repair. Rugs and bedding can be deep cleaned. I have had pet "accidents" happen. My listing supplies urine neutralizer for pets as well as other items to help immediately take care of any soft surface issues. And i can STILL say that human guests have done a lot more damage.  Especially those with little ones. I allow both humans and animals. And yes, I think the concern is overblown. 

@Laura2592  I am a HUGE advocate for allowing pets in rentals (dogs are always welcome at my property) and agree that humans have done much more damage than any 4-legged guests. However, that is no reason to be condescending to a host who has asked for advice. We were all new hosts at one time.

 

As @Ann489  has pointed out, a host has every right to decide whether or not to allow pets. This is less about a pet in the rental and more about a guest possibly being dishonest and disrespecting the host's rules.

 

@Kia272  It's difficult to prove pets after the fact, and even if you do Airbnb will probably not support you for any reimbursement, unfortunately. The "security deposit" is not really a security deposit. I know that doesn't really help your situation, but sometimes there are just bad guests who will try to get away with breaking the rules. Sorry you're in this situation!

@Suzanne302  I had certainly not intended to be condescending and am sorry if it came across that way. I just think of her poor guests-- they closed the curtains for a reason, who knows why. She is tying herself in knots trying to figure out what is happening behind those curtains. 

 

We stayed in a place once where the host watched us through the window and it was very uncomfortable. We were not breaking rules but at one point my husband was walking around in a towel and saw the woman looking through the living room window at him (blinds were kind of half open, we closed them tight after that.)  Maybe she thought we were doing something wrong or maybe she was just nosy. No idea. But I would never stay there again, and we let her know it creeped us out. This sounds dangerously close to that situation.

 

I am a huge advocate for pets in my personal and hosting life. We take our cat and our dog when we stay at our cottage and we regularly seek out pet friendly listings if we travel with the pup. Some of the concern about pets on this forum I find absolutely over the top. As I said its up to the host what they want to do in their own listing. But there is no evidence this rule is actually being broken. And if it is, the OP has still not stated how she will address it or what she expects as remediation from the guests. 

 

And let's say by chance the guests don't have a cat and run across this thread...I wouldn't be thrilled. I know this is the hosting forum and a lot of guests break rules. But there is nothing right now but a "spidey sense." 

 @Suzanne302  Thank you so much for your thoughtful input. I am probably spoiled because I've had the most amazing, considerate guests up til now. It's all about learning how to navigate situations like this, so I appreciate your thoughts. 

I am not "tied up in knots", nor am I "amping up my anger", nor am I peeping in windows while guests are in the house, as another poster suggested. 

I'm still waiting to hear what the evidence shows...if there's no damage (even if it appears that there was a cat), I'll probably let it go. Cheers, Kia

@Laura2592  again, that's your choice.   Again, my choice is NOT to allow animals--even though we own a wolf hybrid and four cats--as well as several chickens.   Again, the concern is very real to those hosts who have a strict no pet policy for whatever reason and had it violated by a dishonest guest.  Maybe you don't mind spending hundreds of dollars replacing ruined items, but most of us would, and to most of IT is a big deal when this happens.    I have trouble understanding your dismissive attitude.     

@Ann489 I am not being dismissive. We understand that replacing certain things is the cost of doing business. We certainly don't like it, but it happens. 

 

For example we recently bought a new chair for our listing-- very nicely upholstered wing chair. In the first visit after we delivered it, a family with small children broke the leg. Don't have ANY idea how this happened but it did. We had guests break a bed frame, guests spill wine on a rug and have to replace the rug, guests overflow the tub, the list goes on.  Overall our human guests have cost us MUCH more money in the way of needed repairs and damage. 

 

I have said several times that hosts can prohibit or allow whatever they want. But in my personal experience, pet damage can happen but it pales in comparison to human damage. I see people panic about pets as though they are engines of absolute destruction. That has not been the case in my experience.  I am merely trying to offer an alternative perspective 🙂 We don't know these guests are dishonest at this point. Hosts can drive themselves mad over all the potential rules guests might be breaking. There is no reason to do anything until this host has proof.