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Cats in apartment

Last activity 28 August 2014 by David Cachia

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Kerstin_23

Hi,
I'm going to move to Malta with my 2 cats in August or September.
How hard is it to find a place to rent with them?

I read somewhere that it's forbidden by law to keep cats in apartments, but not in houses, so I'm going to look for a small town house. Apart from keeping the cats my only other requirements are that the rent is under 500 and that it is in central Malta, not too far away from Sliema and Valetta. I'm just not sure what the Maltese's attitude towards pets and especially cats is.

It would be great if some of you could tell me about your experiences with landlords and cats. Thanks!

MovingToTheMed

Kerstin_23 wrote:

Hi,
I'm going to move to Malta with my 2 cats in August or September.
How hard is it to find a place to rent with them?

I read somewhere that it's forbidden by law to keep cats in apartments,



Is it? My Mum in Law had 2 cats for years in her (owned not rented) apartment until recently when we managed to rehome them to Gozo (as MiL was in hospital for a long time) - and we are not yet in Malta so couldn't take them (we will be arriving in September!!)

Good luck for your search

Additional: As Toon says - MiL cats were also house cats (although I think not now they are on Gozo!)
Matt

Toon

it is possible but if theyre used to being outdoors an apartment isnt a good idea   - we are in a 2nd floor apartment but we have a house cat and he only ever goes out onto the terrace. but then thats all he has ever known.... plus he dont like the noise.....

some landlords allow it even though they may say they wont - its always worth asking.... and offering to pay an extra deposit to cover damages - some will ask you to declaw your pet  - we refused and went elsewhere.

good luck

Grizabella

We moved here two years ago and have lived in two different apartments with our three cats.
We have had no problems finding somewhere suitable (now in a second floor apartment in Bugibba, on the sea front with a great balcony and a huge half of shared roof.) The cats love it cos they can play out on the roof but are absolutely safe (both from other cats and the traffic). No problems from the landlady.... Just be honest with them when looking round, or you could be in breach of contract and any chance of returned deposits etc will be gone (not that there's much chance of ever getting those back...)

Kerstin_23

Thanks to all of you!
Currently they are indoor cats, so that won't be a problem, but of course it would be great if there was some safe outdoor space for them.

I don't remember where I read about cats not being allowed in apartments so maybe that's wrong, I'm not sure. It wasn't on any official government site. Anyways, it doesn't seem to be a problem.

Grizabella wrote:

No problems from the landlady.... Just be honest with them when looking round, or you could be in breach of contract and any chance of returned deposits etc will be gone (not that there's much chance of ever getting those back...)


Is it in your contract that you are allowed to have cats or did you just agree on that verbally?

Thanks again for all the answers!

Grizabella

Our contract (and I think most standard contracts) had a no pets clause but the landlady crossed it out and we all initialled the changes. No problems...

esps

Hi Kirsten

The majority of the Maltese love animals although like everywhere else you can find that odd one out.

My daughter lives in an apartment and she owns a cat which she had for 4 years. Cats are not like dogs which tend to be a bit of a nuisance when they bark. I dont think you should have any problem living in an apartment.

Good luck.

Kerstin_23

Thanks again to all of you! I am currently in Malta and looking, and as you said it doesn't seem to be a problem. I'll keep you updated and I'll tell you when I've found a place. :)

Kerstin_23

Update: I've already found an apartment, it was no problem at all. Of course cats aren't accepted everywhere, but it's easy to find a place where they are accepted.
The bigger problem was that most of the agents didn't call back, but I was shown the apartment after just asking different agencies for two days, so the wait wasn't too long either.
Well, I'll find out if I made the right choice about the move as well as the apartment soon, so let's hope I did!
Thanks again for your help :)

MovingToTheMed

Well done! Hope you are all very happy.

I know it must have been a worry beforehand so to get things so easily sorted it s great relief!

esps

Glad to hear all is sorted. I'm sure you will love Malta. Good luck.

David Cachia

Hi Kirstin,

My name is David,
If you're still looking for an apartment contact me as I am looking for someone as I have a room available in Marsascala and I have a cat as well so I would prefer to find someone who love cats..

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