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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Posts
    1

    Default Is Your Roommate Liable if Her Cat Damages Your Property

    My question involves personal property located in the State of: Wisconsin.

    Long story short, my friend bought a condo with the help of her parents, and I pay rent to my friend to help with the mortgage. We both have two cats, so we knew having four cats in a relatively small space was going to be difficult, but we've come up with solutions to deal with separating the two cats that don't like each other. One of her cats, however, is an older male cat who has been fixed, but continues to spray everything. She had mentioned that he had a problem with spraying before we moved, but I assumed it was an occasional thing and didn't think much of it. After we moved, however, I realized it was an every day, multiple times a day issue. Since we moved in two months ago, he has peed on literally everything I own. He has peed on my couch, my bed, 5 pillows (the first three I had to throw away. I bought two new cheap pillows and he keeps peeing on those so I just keep washing them because I can't keep replacing my stuff), throw pillows and blankets in the living room, my dresser, nightstand, several pairs of shoes, desk, storage containers, school backpack...you get the picture. Our entire condo smells like cat pee and it's disgusting.

    We have taken extraordinary measures to try and cut down on his behavior. We have both spent at least 200$ each on deodorizing sprays, calming sprays, food additives, and pheromone plug ins. I also bought a 41" tall baby gate to put at the top of the stairs (since they kept jumping the short one). So far we keep my two cats locked upstairs where the bedrooms are, and her two cats have free reign of the downstairs and basement (which I think is unfair, but that's a whole other issue). Regardless, he continues to pee on everything downstairs, and if I ever forget to shut the gate he's upstairs immediately and in my room either attacking my cat or peeing on my bed. My roommate has not once apologized to me or offered to compensate me for anything.

    Most of my stuff is cheap and from Walmart, so I'm not too concerned with replacing my dresser or nightstand when I move out of here, but I'm going to have to replace my couch (which is only two years old) and my mattress and boxspring (which is only 5 years old) because they smell so bad. I estimate the damages done to my property to be over $1000 (which is a lot when you're a student working in food service).

    Do I have any right to ask her to compensate me for the damages to my property? Should I get renters insurance and see if they cover damage done by pets? I don't have an official lease here right now (though I think her parents are in the process of drafting one since we've only been here 2 months) and I already told her that I'm not going to pay a security deposit to her due to the sheer amount of my property that has already been damaged by her cat peeing on it.

    Thanks for your help in advance!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Posts
    18,340

    Default Re: Roommate's Cat Has Ruined My Property. Is She Liable?

    Do I have any right to ask her to compensate me for the damages to my property?
    You have the right to ask, she has the right to say no.

    And, frankly, you haven't the snowball's chance in hell of getting awarded any money if you took this to court.

    we knew having four cats in a relatively small space was going to be difficult,
    That's all a judge has to hear before tossing you out of the courtroom.

    Should I get renters insurance and see if they cover damage done by pets?
    Renters insurance never covers damage to your personal property from pets.

    I don't have an official lease here right now (though I think her parents are in the process of drafting one since we've only been here 2 months) and I already told her that I'm not going to pay a security deposit to her due to the sheer amount of my property that has already been damaged by her cat peeing on it.
    You are a tenant at will. Your tenancy can be terminated at any time with proper written notice and for any reason or no reason at all. In Wisconsin proper written notice is for at least 28 days to the end of a rental period.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Is Your Roommate Liable if Her Cat Damages Your Property

    While I'm not as dismissive as adjusterjack, when you move into a shared space with four cats, at least one of whom has a spraying or urination problem, there's an element of assumption of risk -- and on top of that, with four cats in the unit, unless your roommate is confessing that it was the one cat that peed on your property you have a heck of an issue trying to prove which cat is responsible.

    You're also not going to be able to hold your roommate responsible for the actions of her cat when you forget to shut him out of your area of the home.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    16,474

    Default Re: Is Your Roommate Liable if Her Cat Damages Your Property

    Quote Quoting masburhpets
    View Post
    My question involves personal property located in the State of: Wisconsin.

    Long story short, my friend bought a condo with the help of her parents, and I pay rent to my friend to help with the mortgage. We both have two cats, so we knew having four cats in a relatively small space was going to be difficult, but we've come up with solutions to deal with separating the two cats that don't like each other. One of her cats, however, is an older male cat who has been fixed, but continues to spray everything. She had mentioned that he had a problem with spraying before we moved, but I assumed it was an occasional thing and didn't think much of it. After we moved, however, I realized it was an every day, multiple times a day issue. Since we moved in two months ago, he has peed on literally everything I own. He has peed on my couch, my bed, 5 pillows (the first three I had to throw away. I bought two new cheap pillows and he keeps peeing on those so I just keep washing them because I can't keep replacing my stuff), throw pillows and blankets in the living room, my dresser, nightstand, several pairs of shoes, desk, storage containers, school backpack...you get the picture. Our entire condo smells like cat pee and it's disgusting.

    We have taken extraordinary measures to try and cut down on his behavior. We have both spent at least 200$ each on deodorizing sprays, calming sprays, food additives, and pheromone plug ins. I also bought a 41" tall baby gate to put at the top of the stairs (since they kept jumping the short one). So far we keep my two cats locked upstairs where the bedrooms are, and her two cats have free reign of the downstairs and basement (which I think is unfair, but that's a whole other issue). Regardless, he continues to pee on everything downstairs, and if I ever forget to shut the gate he's upstairs immediately and in my room either attacking my cat or peeing on my bed. My roommate has not once apologized to me or offered to compensate me for anything.

    Most of my stuff is cheap and from Walmart, so I'm not too concerned with replacing my dresser or nightstand when I move out of here, but I'm going to have to replace my couch (which is only two years old) and my mattress and boxspring (which is only 5 years old) because they smell so bad. I estimate the damages done to my property to be over $1000 (which is a lot when you're a student working in food service).

    Do I have any right to ask her to compensate me for the damages to my property? Should I get renters insurance and see if they cover damage done by pets? I don't have an official lease here right now (though I think her parents are in the process of drafting one since we've only been here 2 months) and I already told her that I'm not going to pay a security deposit to her due to the sheer amount of my property that has already been damaged by her cat peeing on it.

    Thanks for your help in advance!
    A male cat who sprays, does so to mark his territory. He already was marking his territory against the other cat who lived in the home to start with. You brought two new cats into the mix, which made him need to mark his territory even more.

    Unfortunately you are dealing with a no win situation.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Posts
    672

    Default Re: Is Your Roommate Liable if Her Cat Damages Your Property

    I would move.

    If you don't want to do that, insist that the cat have a full Veterinary exam with an eye to getting him on buspirone, which may help with the spraying behaviour. But since she is dismissive of the whole thing, I'd say that's unlikely to happen.

    Give your notice and find a Happy Place for you and your Furkids.

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