When a cat climbed through the bathroom window we kept ajar to prevent damp, my housemates and I thought it was a bit of fun that wouldn’t hurt anyone. Our ground-floor apartment was in a no-pets building, which made the forbidden chin-stroking more thrilling.
We knew not to encourage our whiskered friend with food, but he kept passing by and we kept letting him. There was something about the confident black cat with white paws and neck: Tuxedo, we called him. He was worth breaking the rules for.
But the gig was up when, during one of our landlord’s surprise visits, a black cat walked in and began to intimately groom himself. “Bad cat!” My housemate acted surprised, badly. “Get out of here Tuxedo, I mean, cat.”
After we received the lease termination notice, I called the landlord. I tried to explain that it wasn’t how it looked. Besides, can anyone truly own a pet? Don’t they own us? He was not moved.
At least others know the value of a furry friend, like the owner of these apartments in Staines-upon-Thames one of which is on the market at £310,000. Pets are allowed, though presumably only in your flat – otherwise going for a doggy paddle in the shared pool would mean something else entirely. At least with video entry you know whose pet you’re opening the door for. If only I lived here before Tuxedo led me astray.
