Secret Life of Pets

Senior Ashley Chiu is living life with a secret pet. She has nothing but love for her two feline companions and she could not have been happier. But sadly, she could never enjoy them to their full potential because she lives in fear of being caught and separated from them. Unfortunately, her apartment complex, like many others, forbids pets.

Although her cats cause no disturbance to the complex, they are still not allowed there. Chiu took a risk and decided to keep her pets in hiding. She explained that her landlord will occasionally “show up randomly and check up on things.” I made the assumption that she would frantically hide things away but surprisingly, she left the food out, the litter box, the toys. But luckily, she said that he never noticed. In regards to her neighbors, they never seemed to have a clue that she was harboring an animal. Ashley shared an account where she was nearly discovered when she first got her cat in which she had, “no idea what to do with his things!” She frantically shut the door and left the cat in her room, in hopes that he’d keep quiet while her landlord sauntered around the apartment, checking for any issues. This close call was definitely a difficult task to take on but nonetheless, she powered through it and protected her cat from potential discovery.

I spoke with one landlord about restrictive pet policies. He explained that animals can be “destructive and messy.” He described cases in which he had made exceptions and described it as,”the worst decision he could have made,” as a landlord. Upon his return to visit the home and repair their dishwasher, he encountered several carpet stains, scratched kitchen cabinets, and wall scratches. These were not damage to the furniture of the renters but to his actual building. He described this issue as, “costly” and seemed very irritated simply talking about an issue that could’ve been avoided if he hadn’t made that exception. From then on, he learned that exceptions would no longer be made and pets were simply not tolerated on his property. He admitted that if faced with this situation he would provide the tenant with, “an ultimatum,” regarding the removal of their pet or finding a new place. This is definitely quite the learning experience and it is also very understandable as to why people do not tolerate pets. Nonetheless, the people who own pets will go to many lengths, even hide them for as long as they can, to keep their beloved companions alongside them!