Our neighbors have a cat, even though they shouldn't, and their apartment smells horrible. I'm not sure how they deal with it. Our room mate ensures us that the catbox will be in her room, and that we won't have to take care of the cat and blah blah blah blah, but that is garbage. When there is something alive in your living space it is everybody's concern. And, not to cast judgement on our neighbors, but our apartment is only 800 square feet and there is no real yard. We live next a very busy street. Keeping that cat safely inside would be an exercise in cruelty. And, since Michaela and myself don't trust that beautiful little kitten not to scratch and piss and shit all over everything and in secret places where we won't be able to find it and clean and make our whole lovely home smell horrible, it is likely going to have to spend its time NOT roaming our NOT spacious 800 square feet, but shut into our room mate's 100 square foot bedroom.
I'm not down with that. So I talked to her, told her it was likely a no, and she's pretty pissed, asking "why" and all these things. I told her that it was because it is supposed to be a pet-free apartment. She replied that it was probably supposed to be a "pot-free" apartment, too, right? And she's right, except that her name isn't on the deposit, and (this is the big deal, for me, and makes me pretty upset) she knew before she moved in:
A: marijuana is often consumed on the premises.
B: NO PETS.
I'm not upset that she found a cat. I'm upset that she found a cat and, instead of trying to find it a nice home, she is determined to keep it here, putting us in the shitty position of refusing sanctuary for a cute animal after she showed all of her/our friends the cat and told them she was going to keep it.