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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

DS wants to take cat to uni

121 replies

ClusterFog · 19/06/2023 13:27

DS will be renting a student house from September with two uni friends.

He wants to take his cat with him, 4 hours away from our home.

Both friends are in full agreement with this plan. One has met the cat over Easter, the other will be visiting this summer. Both have grown up with family cats.

DS has had the cat for 5 years and they have a strong bond. Having the cat has really helped his sometimes fragile MH, such as during exams.

I'm a bit conflicted.

I'm told the law has changed and landlords can't refuse tenants pets, but don't know all the details.

Any advise/suggestions would be helpful, thank you.

OP posts:
primoseyellow · 19/06/2023 20:45

The Landlord will most likely refuse so this may end the whole issue if you first suggest your son asks. They just have to give a reason.

Definitelysometime · 19/06/2023 20:46

I just think if he takes the cat and anything were to happen to it, on the road or something, would he cope with that or potentially feel great guilt over it?

pimplebum · 19/06/2023 20:46

Lots of people are allergic or don't like cats so he would be limiting his house mates

HappyHedgehog247 · 19/06/2023 20:48

I took my cat to Uni. Cat was very happy and got lots of attention!

Ylvamoon · 19/06/2023 20:48

😁 I gave a rescue dog a home towards the end of my first year at Uni...
She was loved and well cared for and had more friends, mates and buddies than me!

I think if DS is sincere about the cat, compromise, he can take her on trial after Christmas, once he's settled in.
Obviously a lot depends on the cat's personality and if it would be ok moving between Student Home and Parents Home.

LuckyPeonies · 20/06/2023 03:21

Very unfair to the cat, and potentially unsafe. They are creatures of habit and like their routine. If he is allowed outside (or escapes) at the new location, he may well attempt to travel back home and be killed or lost forever. If your son loves him he should do what’s best for him, which is to remain home.

copenhagen84 · 20/06/2023 04:12

What's he planning to do during the long holidays OP? Live permanently at the student house? If so you'll not only be losing a cat but also your son! You'll never see either of them!

On the other hand he surely can't be expecting to travel home to you with the cat during the holidays?? And what about the tenancy - I assume it may finish in a year.

nettie434 · 20/06/2023 04:33

Are there any other ways in which your son could still enjoy the company of cats at university? I follow Rolf the Warwick University campus cat on Twitter. He lives near the university and visits the campus often. I am sure there are other universities with similar cats. Alternatively could he volunteer at a rescue? There are also several cat cafes around the country.

Tockomtele · 20/06/2023 06:14

It depends on the cat and whether landlord will allow. And they can say no.
Lots of people move with cats, mine are pretty shy, one of them has come with us to the 4th house. I had one I moved from my home country (he lived with the breeder temporarily whilst I settled), then we moved to a few places.
The big question is the landlord and whether the other housemates are responsible enough as well.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 20/06/2023 14:37

Having been drawn downstairs by TC's wailing outside the door, he's now doing his ablutions in full view of all of us (i.e. me and divers cats).
I have no idea why he can't wash himself in his own garden...

DS wants to take cat to uni
DS wants to take cat to uni
DS wants to take cat to uni
Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 20/06/2023 15:15

Oops - wrong thread. Bloody TC gets into all sorts of places he isn't supposed to. 😹

ZestFest · 20/06/2023 15:26

The question isn't really whether your son is capable and responsible. It's about the welfare of the cat. It's just not fair to make it move house and then potentially have to uproot it again. I think you need to say no firmly

HerMammy · 20/06/2023 16:36

Bear in mind the advice is to keep
them indoors for 6mths at a new home.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 20/06/2023 16:56

HerMammy · 20/06/2023 16:36

Bear in mind the advice is to keep
them indoors for 6mths at a new home.

6 months?
Always thought it was 6 weeks suggested, and actually I've done far less than that in the past.

illiterato · 20/06/2023 17:05

If you allow it, make sure he has discounted any promises of help from his flatmates- ie he shouldn’t be relying on them to help with the cat whatsoever. They may do, and they would obviously be great, but it’s one thing to be on board with your flatmate getting a pet and another to be prepared to inconvenience yourself even slightly to help look after it.

Also it may try to get home and then get lost/ run over. Our family pet cat did after we moved and it actually got about 5 miles in the right direction before dad ( totally coincidentally on way back from work) saw it trotting down the road and picked it up.

Peanutbutteryday · 20/06/2023 19:00

No - uni not a place for cats.

Koalasparkles · 20/06/2023 19:14

So....
I have a cat that I've had for about 9 years that's been through all sorts with me. I moved yearly with her for her first 4 years of life as I was renting in shared houses. Plus I used to take her with me when I went anywhere more than a night, or to remove her for landlord inspections (ahem). She was absolutely fine! It did help that she was an indoor cat for the first 2/3 yrs of her life though (mixture of first living on a busy road then in a flat).

I say - go for it if the house is appropriate, the cat is resilient and your son is mature enough to look after them. What about doing it bothers you? You don't really say

Koalasparkles · 20/06/2023 19:21

LegendsBeyond · 19/06/2023 16:42

It’s really not fair on the cat. Just say no. All this pandering to young adults drives me mad.

"Pandering to young adults" seriously? I'd hate if you were my parent 🙈

Sounds like it's his cat anyway, so he could just take the cat if he wanted to ignore his parents. Why are people always so derogatory towards young people?

MrsCharlieD · 20/06/2023 20:01

I took my cat to uni, she was doted on by all my flat mates. We were very much not responsible students but we always took care of the cat. She lived to the ripe old age of 22, seeing out her days with me in my marital home after having her since I was a child. Personally I'd let him take her.

7eleven · 20/06/2023 20:03

I understand the sentiment, but I don’t thinks it’s fair on the cat. Far too much travelling and toing and froing.

Beautiful3 · 20/06/2023 20:21

No don't do it. My sister's cat was terrified after a move, became unhappy until she returned him to the family home. Mine was unhappy after a house move and ran away for a year. We did get him back, but he never seemed happy.

mayorofcasterbridge · 20/06/2023 20:29

I've had a couple of cats (including one of my two current girls) that absolutely lose/t their shit on a five minute drive to the vet.

Think it would be worse for his mental health if something happened to the cat because of the change of circumstances.

Iamacatslave · 20/06/2023 20:35

Not fair on the cat. Poor puss.

CheeseyOnionPie · 20/06/2023 20:42

Cats hate to be uprooted from their home, it’s very stressful indeed for them. I wouldn’t do it, he can maybe come home at weekends a bit more often, but it’s unfair on the cat. It’s a living being not a piece of furniture.

C1N1C · 20/06/2023 20:46

Firm no.