Having a harmless pet in a condominium (which does not allow pets)?

[OneMoreFarang]

I live in a condominium which has the official policy that they don't allow pets.

But there are some pets in the building. I know about at least one cat, a squirl (kind of), and some time ago someone had a small dog (which never barked).

It seems to me that at least some people from the management and security guards know about this, but they don't really care. Like: If there is no noise and no complains, and the animals are behind closed doors, there is no problem.

 

Now my gf and I think about adopting a cat. The cat would be 99% of the time in my condominium (I own it). I guess from time to time there might be a visit to the doctor or so.

I don't think this would be a problem. There is no noise, no smell, and nobody sees the cat.

But as we all know, there are many regulations in Thailand which are mostly ignored, until the moment they are not ignored anymore and someone complaints. And then?

If nobody sees the cat in the corridors or lift, how could they know/argue that I have a cat?

Does the management or anybody else have the right to inspect my condominium to check if there is any animal?

 

I understand that condominiums have no pet rules to avoid barking dogs, etc. But if nobody sees the animal, then this is like the animal does not exist.

 

What is your experience?

 

And for the record: No, until now we don't have a cat.

[KhunLA]

Ask yourself if & when you become attached to said cat, and someone reports you, can you deal with losing that cat in the end, when you are told you can't have.

 

Why we own a detached house, I'd never give up my dog.  I'd leave TH before that happened.   My dog/therapist is #1 in my life.  Shh ... don't tell the kid or wife.

[OneMoreFarang]

6 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Ask yourself if & when you become attached to said cat, and someone reports you, can you deal with losing that cat in the end, when you are told you can't have.

Yes, that is a big issue.

 

Until now my idea was to pretend there is no cat. I don't think anybody has the right to check in my apartment if they find one.

But that is just my theory.

[digbeth]

there are plenty of pet-friendly condos now, the rent's usually higher and occupancy very low, empty units get rented out fast

 

it only takes the sort of nosy neighbor/committee member  with nothing to do but complain to see you take the pet out in elevator for once to kick up a fuss and makes it a problem for you

 

I used to keep small dogs in my condo and has to teach her to 'hide' and be bundled up in blankets to take her out for walks and to the vets etc... 

[Peterw42]

OP, sounds like you have made up your mind to get a cat, and I doubt you will pay any attention to anyone who tells you otherwise. Its a slippery slope once you start ignoring the common by-laws or justifying they don't apply to you, or you wont get caught. What happens when everyone starts ignoring all the laws. 

Unless you can train your cat to use the toilet and flush afterwards, there will be kitty litter that smells.

Also Cats attract or go looking for mates, your cat may be fine but the cat 3 doors down will start hanging around your condo.

At the end of the day its not much of a life for a cat being confined to a condo.

[Gottfrid]

36 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Does the management or anybody else have the right to inspect my condominium to check if there is any animal?

Yes, they have!

[Henryford]

Is it fair to keep an animal locked up in a condo 99% of the time. I love animals but i don't think so. Only needs a neighbour with a grudge to grass on you.

[G Rex]

Are you allowed to have a fish tank? That could be another option - but not so easy to cuddle the fish on the sofa while you watch Netflix. 

Or perhaps Siberian Hamsters, like Manuel from Fawlty Towers had?

[impulse]

52 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't think this would be a problem. There is no noise, no smell, and nobody sees the cat.

 

If you want an odor free cat, good luck. 

 

If you want a low odor cat, get a female, have her spayed, use clumping cat litter, and count on cleaning the litter box daily, if not 2 or 3 times a day.

 

Male cats (at least the ones my significant others have owned) have a bad habit of marking territory with a stench that just won't come out, and making god-awful noises when they're upset.  Or horny.

 

[brianthainess]

Get a Rat..............

[scubascuba3]

A condo near me changed the policy to band pets, people had to move or get rid

[OneMoreFarang]

Just now, scubascuba3 said:

A condo near me changed the policy to band pets, people had to move or get rid

That's the theory. But did they actually do that?

 

Which brings me back to my original question: Does anybody from the condo management or similar has the right to check if I have a pet in my condo? I guess not. Or do they? 

[Seppius]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Yes, that is a big issue.

 

Until now my idea was to pretend there is no cat. I don't think anybody has the right to check in my apartment if they find one.

But that is just my theory.

What will you do with the cat when you want to go on a trip somewhere?

 

Keep goldfish as you can always eat them if you have to leave in a hurry (that's a joke btw)😀

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's the theory. But did they actually do that?

 

Which brings me back to my original question: Does anybody from the condo management or similar has the right to check if I have a pet in my condo? I guess not. Or do they? 

They won't need to check. They'll get reports and dish out what ever punishment they agree on

[Will B Good]

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Ask yourself if & when you become attached to said cat, and someone reports you, can you deal with losing that cat in the end, when you are told you can't have.

 

Why we own a detached house, I'd never give up my dog.  I'd leave TH before that happened.   My dog/therapist is #1 in my life.  Shh ... don't tell the kid or wife.

 

oooooo.....very good point.

[BobBKK]

Obey the condo rules - you chose to live there. 

[OneZero]

Quietly talk to the other pet owners about your (& obviously their) interests & ask them their observations /experience in your specific bldg about potential non-pet owners intrigue or mgt investigation /enforcement.

 

My wife & I have 4 cats that are always inside except for vet appointments & our moving around (use pet carriers) between 3 condos in Jomtien, Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai.  All have an inconspicuous sign that say's "No pets".  But there are pets, birds, cats & dogs in multiple rooms.  As long as they aren't roaming the common areas, are quiet and not causing a problem there has not been a problem.  One person let their dog run lose in the pool area & was reprimanded (I never asked how).

 

Edit ps:  All owners understand the sign (No pets) & are careful about the pets being quiet & nobody causing a disturbance.  Even the dog owners (none are really big dogs) either quickly & quietly carry them in & out until they get off common areas of condo or push them in small children's strollers.

[zappalot]

We had 2 cats in a condo for many years, no pets allowed, no one cared, everyone even knew. They were even roaming the building 🙂

 

Btw: from experience I am sure they can not just come and check your condo for pets.

[Celsius]

you are playing with the wrong pussy 

[DaLa]

Boy cat or girl cat, just have them neutered and that will remove some of the potential problems. I bath my male cat frequently and he smells clean enough to sleep on our bed. You will never know if a problem will arise with a neighbour; if I lived next door I’d probably volunteer to look after it when you are away, but others may protest even if there’s very little reason.

 

I have a house with land so our cat goes out and I personally wouldn’t want to keep a cat indoors, however many people do and if that’s all the cat has known then they are probably happy watching tv, eating, sleeping and fighting with balls of wool.

 

Losing your cat if you have to have it removed from your property would be tough. I had to pay someone £500 to take one cat off me when I came to Thailand, that was hard but nothing compared to my last one that was run over a few months back.

 

I would go for it.

[OneMoreFarang]

Thanks for all your replies.

I/we haven't decided yet, let's see.

 

[OneZero]

1 hour ago, zappalot said:

We had 2 cats in a condo for many years, no pets allowed, no one cared, everyone even knew. They were even roaming the building 🙂

 

Btw: from experience I am sure they can not just come and check your condo for pets.

BTW, we put thin nets on balcony & open widows to prevent ours from jumping at passing birds.  Inside we have cat trees in 3 rooms because they love to climb.  Also, blankets covering sofas that may attracts their scratching.  Clean several cat litter trays whenever used.  Avoid the dry hard kibble carbohydrate as much as possible, it has no moisture & the plant protein has been destroyed in processing.  As a result of evolution cats must have animal protein.  Also, for good health make sure they get enough water; kidney failure is common in indoor cats because they are missing the moisture they otherwise got from eating birds, mice,   

 

You may want to consider two cats, so they can play with each other.  When you treat them with love they will return it in kind.  Then your "children"  🙂 have you hooked.   They are a responsibility, & not for everybody.  Everybody's personality /lifestyle is different & changes at different stages of life.  But we have never regretted rescuing ours.  They make us very happy.  

 

As DaLa mentioned above, the saddest days of one's life are when a loving pet dies. 

 

 

[rocketboy2]

If it's just a cat. and it's not,  going to bother other residents,  in any way.

Just do it. and keep quiet about it.

fxxxxxxx the nah sayers. 

They are the same people that told  you to keep off the grass and had signs made up, 

No ball games.

When you were a kid.

Enjoy having a cat with you and your lady.

 

[proton]

On 8/15/2024 at 9:36 AM, digbeth said:

there are plenty of pet-friendly condos now, the rent's usually higher and occupancy very low, empty units get rented out fast

 

it only takes the sort of nosy neighbor/committee member  with nothing to do but complain to see you take the pet out in elevator for once to kick up a fuss and makes it a problem for you

 

I used to keep small dogs in my condo and has to teach her to 'hide' and be bundled up in blankets to take her out for walks and to the vets etc... 

 

Another anti social selfish rule breaker who thinks the no pets rule does not apply to them. No pets means no pets.

[zappalot]

On 8/17/2024 at 3:11 PM, proton said:

 

Another anti social selfish rule breaker who thinks the no pets rule does not apply to them. No pets means no pets.

Having a rule and law breaker as an avatar and complaining about other people not following rules and laws? Make it make sense...

[richard_smith237]

I've been in 'no pet' condo's before... 

 

One seemed more relaxed about it, and we could often hear a little 'yap' - nothing too disturbing.

There were a couple of funny situations where a  'women' tried to smuggle out the small mutt in her handbag and it barked, the woman coughed as if it were here !!!...  my wife asked, 'do you think we're stupid'... we can hear your dog ?

 

I don't mind a 'gentle rule bed' but there has to be a line somewhere - If the owner was out all day and dog yapping, I'd complain. 

 

We had someone rent the Condo our condo & then we sold it (with tenant), about a year later the new owner complained to us that 'their tenant' (grandfathered in from us) had a cat which had scratched and trashed the place. 

 

--------

 

Another condo: Very hard and strict rules... Wife's friend pulled up to drop something off, stoppig the car at the front of the condo reception. Wife's friend got out, held a tiny little dog in her arms (never put it on the ground) and we received a letter threatening a 20,000 baht fine (or something like that) for having a pet on the premises - I guess they wanted to be very firm about this, but we thought it overbearing (the juristic management were a bunch of total ayholes, plenty of other issues too).

 

 

--------

 

No we live in a MooBan - plenty of people with dogs about, the issue is some people taking their dogs for a walk and allowing them to poop in the communal area's (most pick / bag up the mess - but others think no one see's them so they don't bother).

 

Cat's also in my MooBan - and this is more of an issue for me as they 'spray' up my car, bike and walls...  one has scratched my seat (motorcycle) so I have to put a cover on it every night - Owner of said cat has said he'll pay for any damages... but it still comes round spraying. 

 

I've tried counter measures, but none of them work - the cat still thinks it owns the front of our house !!

[Lacessit]

While I don't have any objection to quiet pets, cats have a habit of squalling and screaming at each other in the wee small hours.

 

The OP is dreaming if he thinks cat p!ss and sh!t won't smell up a 30-50 sqm condo.

 

Cat feces carry a parasite causing toxoplasmosis, particularly dangerous with  babies.

 

Strike three, maybe?

[StandardIssue]

On 8/15/2024 at 9:05 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

I live in a condominium which has the official policy that they don't allow pets.

But there are some pets in the building. I know about at least one cat, a squirl (kind of), and some time ago someone had a small dog (which never barked).

It seems to me that at least some people from the management and security guards know about this, but they don't really care. Like: If there is no noise and no complains, and the animals are behind closed doors, there is no problem.

 

Now my gf and I think about adopting a cat. The cat would be 99% of the time in my condominium (I own it). I guess from time to time there might be a visit to the doctor or so.

I don't think this would be a problem. There is no noise, no smell, and nobody sees the cat.

But as we all know, there are many regulations in Thailand which are mostly ignored, until the moment they are not ignored anymore and someone complaints. And then?

If nobody sees the cat in the corridors or lift, how could they know/argue that I have a cat?

Does the management or anybody else have the right to inspect my condominium to check if there is any animal?

 

I understand that condominiums have no pet rules to avoid barking dogs, etc. But if nobody sees the animal, then this is like the animal does not exist.

 

What is your experience?

 

And for the record: No, until now we don't have a cat.

 

Simple, you are trying to justify to us how it's OK for you to break the pet rule. You want to be an exception. Everyone should understand your position and point of view.

 

BUT, So.. here's the rub.

 

Your "secret" will absolutely not be a secret as long as you think it will. More than likely a week or less after your bring the cat in it will be discovered by someone.  So, allong with the rest of the folks breaking the rule, someone will ultimately justify breaking the rule and think it will be quite alright to keep one of those small whiny or yappy dogs that make horrible noise just when you don't want in their condo.

 AND as Murphys law always seems to come to play in situations like these, the noisy new dog will be in the condo right next to yours and when you complain to your neighbor they'll say "well you've got a cat"

 

[OneMoreFarang]

12 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Cat feces carry a parasite causing toxoplasmosis, particularly dangerous with  babies.

I am not sure if I will ever get a cat. But I am 100% sure I will never have a baby. 😉 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, StandardIssue said:

 

Simple, you are trying to justify to us how it's OK for you to break the pet rule. You want to be an exception. Everyone should understand your position and point of view.

 

BUT, So.. here's the rub.

 

Your "secret" will absolutely not be a secret as long as you think it will. More than likely a week or less after your bring the cat in it will be discovered by someone.  So, allong with the rest of the folks breaking the rule, someone will ultimately justify breaking the rule and think it will be quite alright to keep one of those small whiny or yappy dogs that make horrible noise just when you don't want in their condo.

 AND as Murphys law always seems to come to play in situations like these, the noisy new dog will be in the condo right next to yours and when you complain to your neighbor they'll say "well you've got a cat"

 

Sometimes it is almost funny when some people pretend they never ever ignored any rule, not even a little, not even a long time ago.

Did you ever drive 1 or 2 km/h too fast? Why did you do that? And all that.

IMHO the idea about rules is to make life better for most people most of the time. Lots of rules can be broken from time to time and no harm is done. 

If I would love rules, then I would live in Singapore and not in Thailand.