I Like the way you think!
RR
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Hi
I grew up with animals in the house in the UK (dog, budgie, rabbit - when chasing the dog) We never had a cat, however since moving to Greece, I have found the neighbours cat in my house asleep, sheād made her own cat flap by clawing a hole in my mosquito net ā¦ miss that cat 
I think some nationalities are better with pets than others. Greeks would absolutely faint in horror to see a cat in the house, forget the walking on work surfaces! Upbringing is different here. Greeks go āape pooā if the see a dog even dip its paws into the sea.
I also think people with pets canāt see or smell the evidence of an animal living indoors. A friend of mine had a very fluffy cat and a German shepherd. She asked me whether I could smell the animals ā¦ errr yes. Even though she was clean, there was always a lingering smell. Not just that, there were many dog hairs/cat hairs stuck to carpets, furniture - despite vacuuming constantly.
I suppose itās like having children ā¦ you are rarely disgusted by their stinking nappies, snot ridden faces, screaming cries when they are yours, but look after someone elseās and it all changes.
I can only speak for Brits and Greeks (as they are the 2 nationalities Iāve lived with) Brits would most likely be ok (even with the kitchen surfaces ā¦ which horrifies me) but Greeks NO WAY they could share a house with a cat (or a dog) , especially one that climbs on work surfaces.
You say you mention the cat throughout the listing, Iāve realised that whatever you write, they still take stars away. My apt in a basement flat , I mention it in the title āBudget basement flatā I continuously mention it throughout and still I lost my superhost to the fact itās a basement! I also state over and over again that the sofa beds are only suitable for small children. Lost stars for āuncomfortable sofa bedsā aaaarrrrrrhhhhhh I didnāt even bother listing this year as people are now expecting 5 star hotel amenities and service.
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The way to stop animal smells, fur and dander is: 1) Vacuum regularly with proper pet cleaner e.g. Meile Cat and Dog, 2) Steam clean the carpets regularly and shampoo the carpets periodically, 3) Wash the dog and their bedding regularly (I have a spaniel so sheās always swimming and thatās easy). I have a sensitive sense of smell and I know 100% my house does not smell!
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One of our cats rubs at the vacuum cleaner until we vacuum the actual cat. He really seems to enjoy it. He is a bit of an odd cat though.
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That is really odd. I did find our George sitting recently with a ferret that had wandered in. They were under the dining room table, gazing at each other in wonderment. But friends with the hoover? āNo way, Iām out of hereā.
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Thatās highly unusual. If I wanted my cat to leave the room all I would have to do is touch the vacuum.
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When I run the brush attachment around the baseboards, my terrierās rodent = prey instinct gets triggered and he vigorously attacks it.
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Lol. My spaniel tries to bite the main attachment, lofty ambition there. The only other thing that makes her like that is hairdryers. So, the dog who is trusted with all my neighbours little children is reduced to wearing a muzzle at the groomers!
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Turn off, your KITCHEN as an amenity. Do not even offer it.
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If you keep it in the kitchen, you could touch it to send the cat out, repeatedly, until heās averseā¦ pure behaviour therapy, with no walking on surfaces for guests to be concerned about. I am glad that both mine are too old to be agile enough anymore. They both wanted to drink from the sink tap persistently for years.
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I do have my kitchen unticked in facilities and say so in my lead description. They have breakfast there and are allowed to make drinks and use the microwave between 6 and 10 in the evening. I donāt think I could get away with banning access totally. I wish!
Usually there are no problems, but last night I had to chase a guest out of the kitchen in my nightie at 11pm because he had not read the house rules even though I asked him twice to do so. (Thumbs down). I am thinking of buying a bigger house so guests can have their own breakfast room with microwave. However I still wouldnāt want them in there at night as itās not conducive to rest.
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@Joan is right, cats CAN be trained that way, but it takes a very big time commitment. A simple spray water bottle will do the trick too. Every time your cat jumps up on the counters, a squirt with water will get them down quickly. And if it happens every time they get on the counters (this is where the time commitment comes in), they will learn that there is an undesired effect to jumping on the counters and will stop doing it. Best part, they donāt blame you for the undesired effect, as they donāt really know that itās you doing it.
I did this when one of my cats was a kitten and kept climbing the Christmas tree. Luckily, I was able to be near the tree most of the time, and catch her in the act, but it took about 3 days.
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Gotta add, my pets are my family members. I feel if guests make comments about my pets, itās like theyāre saying something about my kids!!
How my brain and ears hear these guest comments about a hostās cat are:
āCan you please keep your kids out of your house while Iām here?ā āYou can never get five stars for cleanliness if you have kids!ā āYour child is ruining my vacation!ā āI canāt eat where your kid just was.ā
lol I know itās extreme, but to some of us, our fur babies are our real babies, and just like kids, even if very well-behaved, we canāt always control everything they do.
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I am a crazy cat lady but there are still surfaces I donāt want my cat on (kitchen counters, kitchen table, areas I work) and I have one weapon but it works pretty well. It is called an SSSCat, available at online biggies Amazon and Chewy. It is motion activated and emits a hisssssssss and cat is frightened and jumps down, often never to jump up again, though some cats have to jump a few times before they get it. I guess they think it is a snake. The top part of the device is the motion activated part and the bottom is a can filled with air.
I will say that it scares me as much as the cat even though I tell myself I will remember where I placed it. Also, mine is sometimes a bit wonky and doesnāt go off ā I think some of that is because it is older. It surely worked the other day, though, when my youngest cat scrambled up onto the top of the photo booth I use to shoot my online products ā and had, previously, used it to access shelfs full of breakable (and for sale) objects.
My property is a stand-alone small home and I allow pets. Pet people would probably be more understanding but renting in your own home, I can see how allowing pets could cause an issue.
Judy in NC
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Sounds interesting. Could it also be used to hiss at guests who break kitchen rules, for example going in my kitchen after 10pm or using my oven when asked not to? Might be fun lol
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Exactly!!! I wanted to kill the woman who rudely demanded that I āhideā my cat! Who do these people think they are 
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Hide your cat? Iāve just had a chat about this with George the Cat, who merely shrugged and miaowed ātwatsā as he stalked to his food bowl.
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She kept making this really exaggerated angry facial expression too which was priceless. I think our cat meowed the same thing in response to her.
Cats do like to claw at things sometimes. I see ours pawing at a mat that we keep her water bowl on sometimes and she likes to jump up and rub the wicker coffee tables we have with her paws too. People usually donāt travel with cats though. Maybe they snuck in a dog?
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But not tonight PLEASE! I really need to go to bedā¦
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