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having cats in Fellow lodgings-help

Hi all,

I am an unfortunate soul coming to Oxford who is forced to leave her cat behind. Let me make this clear: I am probably the oldest member on this forum as my student days are long past me and I am coming in as a Fellow--aka faculty member/staff.
(I am from the US).
I had originally imagined I could get my cat the passport and thereby get her into the UK sans the infamous quarantine but I have been --after a 6 month search--unable to find affordable cat-friendly lodgings.
My correspondences with Oxford's various offices have also been very disappointing.
At first, I was told that cats may be allowed in some staff lodgings. A Nicky Charles--the Accommodation Officer from ST hilda's told me I'd be welcome to bring my cat. The Oxford Advisory Office also told me that they happen to know of vacancies that allow cats for staff.
I then even corresponded with someone who had previously lived there and owned a cat. When they found out however that I am employed at a different College-Univ--I was told by someone else --one Anne Allan that under no conditions would they allow cats.

I have been told that some graduate students and definitely faculty do have pets. Where do you live?
I have emailed all the real estate agencies--rightmove, premier, etc and all of them have told me they have ZERO properties that allow cats.
I tried gumtree and the daily and only got scammers replying in the former case and zero replies in the latter.
I have been working on a solution since March!!!

Also, please can you shed light on this situation: if it is the case that some staff are allowed cats in their flats, how do they go about getting this permission?

For cat lovers, please understand. not only is my cat important and dear to me, but I have been able to find her temporary lodgings with a friend in the US. In one year or less however, that friend will move overseas and I will be compelled to give her to a shelter, where if she's not adopted, she'll be put to sleep.

Thanks Univ and St. Hilda's! seriously, I am disappointed. utterly disappointed.

please, be serious because this is a serious matter. I am not looking for replies about how to hide my cat, I am a 30 year old professional, and I think I deserve some respect, which I have sadly not been receiving from Oxford's bureaucrats.
I have the smell of nepotism in my nostrils, from the replies and the quick saves I'm reading in emails.

Reply 1

TomU

11

Hi,

Although i've not ever been in your situation and I cannot provide any help or advice from experience, as a fellow cat-lover I sympathise with your situation and genuinely hope that you can sort something out.

From a quick glance, obtaining a pet passport is not going to be a problem provided your cat is vaccinated against rabies:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/index.htm

I can only suggest to keep looking for accommodation. There certainly are places that are pet friendly, though they do seem to be few and far between. Don't give up though, i'm sure you'll find something :smile:

If the worst came to the worst and you couldn't bring your cat here, aren't there any no-kill shelters that your cat could be taken to?

Good luck!
Tom

Reply 2

Ars Ludicra

10

elfppl

Hi all,

I am an unfortunate soul coming to Oxford who is forced to leave her cat behind. Let me make this clear: I am probably the oldest member on this forum as my student days are long past me and I am coming in as a Fellow--aka faculty member/staff.
(I am from the US).
I had originally imagined I could get my cat the passport and thereby get her into the UK sans the infamous quarantine but I have been --after a 6 month search--unable to find affordable cat-friendly lodgings.
My correspondences with Oxford's various offices have also been very disappointing.
At first, I was told that cats may be allowed in some staff lodgings. A Nicky Charles--the Accommodation Officer from ST hilda's told me I'd be welcome to bring my cat. The Oxford Advisory Office also told me that they happen to know of vacancies that allow cats for staff.
I then even corresponded with someone who had previously lived there and owned a cat. When they found out however that I am employed at a different College-Univ--I was told by someone else --one Anne Allan that under no conditions would they allow cats.

I have been told that some graduate students and definitely faculty do have pets. Where do you live?
I have emailed all the real estate agencies--rightmove, premier, etc and all of them have told me they have ZERO properties that allow cats.
I tried gumtree and the daily and only got scammers replying in the former case and zero replies in the latter.
I have been working on a solution since March!!!

Also, please can you shed light on this situation: if it is the case that some staff are allowed cats in their flats, how do they go about getting this permission?

For cat lovers, please understand. not only is my cat important and dear to me, but I have been able to find her temporary lodgings with a friend in the US. In one year or less however, that friend will move overseas and I will be compelled to give her to a shelter, where if she's not adopted, she'll be put to sleep.

Thanks Univ and St. Hilda's! seriously, I am disappointed. utterly disappointed.

please, be serious because this is a serious matter. I am not looking for replies about how to hide my cat, I am a 30 year old professional, and I think I deserve some respect, which I have sadly not been receiving from Oxford's bureaucrats.
I have the smell of nepotism in my nostrils, from the replies and the quick saves I'm reading in emails.

Hello,

I'm quite surprised that you've been told you can't have a cat. We've had a College cat at New College for the past year who has been living with one of the fellows. As it happens that particular fellow is moving away and probably taking Otis with her. :frown:

Having done a quick google search, it seems that Ms Allan is the Bursar's PA at St Hilda's. Frankly, if you've been told by the Accommodations Officer that it's alright for you to have a cat on college premises, I would regard that as permission. The Accommodations Officer, at least in my college, seems to be the authority on these matters, and, to be quite honest, I can't really see what it has to do with the Bursar's assistant anyway.

I understand that you don't want to have to be sneaky about it, though. Perhaps it would be worth speaking to the Accommodations Officer again and asking for some clarification. I'm sure if you explain the situation you're facing the College will do something to help you. Your working at Univ doesn't really seem like it ought to change anything.

As a last resort, you could always consider 'donating' your cat to another college who is looking for a pet? It's just an idea, and there would need to be somebody in whichever college to look after it, but it would be better than letting the poor thing go to a shelter.

I hope some of this has been of use. It's a shame your first impression of Oxford will be one of a senseless beaurocracy. :smile:

Reply 3

EvieMo

1

If you're considering renting a flat privately, most landlords do not allow pets because their insurance costs more if they allow pets. If you offer to pay the difference, many landlords will permit pets. You have to bear in mind that you will also be liable for costs of replacing any furniture or carpets if your cat does damage them.

The Accommodation Officer sounds like s/he would be the one who knows about accommodation. If they say you can bring your cat, then that's probably OK. Perhaps you could contact them again to double check.

I hope you will be able to bring your cat with you to Oxford!

Reply 4

janesies

2

I too hope you can bring your cat over here with you!!!

I still remember being asked in kindergarten to draw a picture of my family and being around 3 or 4 years old I obliged drawing me, my mum, my dad and my 2 cats and writing underneath my family consists of 5. Only to be told by my teacher that cats aren't counted as part of the family. I then promptly cried my eyes out for hours and my mum had to come pick me up from school as I was that distraught. I don't think I have ever got over the experience or stopped hating on that teacher lol..

Reply 5

clair0511

5

If your friend can look after your cat for a whole year before leaving to live abroad, then why don't you just go to Oxford, check out the college situation and/or find other accommodation which allows cats and then "fly" the cat over from the US. I'm sure there will be a solution but it's probably better to speak to people in person rather than via email.

Oh, and you are definitely not the oldest - I'm nearly 35! This is the mature students forum after all!

Good luck, and yes, I would agree with the previous poster about finding a no-kill shelter as an absolute worst-case scenario.

Reply 6

Kitty Pimms

17

Firstly, you are by no means the oldest member here! :wink:

- and secondly I'm terribly sorry about your cat troubles, it would break my heart if I had to leave mine behind. I've moved this (with a redirect) to the Oxford forum via the postgraduate forum, so hopefully you'll get some more replies from those.

Reply 7

Derek_the_Sheep

8

OP - why were you asking about accommodation at St Hilda's if your Fellowship is at Univ?

It looks like you might not be clear how it works - but if you are a Fellow of a particular college, that's where you are based, and you don't have a claim on anything at other colleges. So I'm not very surprised if the accommodation people at St Hilda's weren't very .. errr.. accommodating when you told them you were attached to another college. I don't know who Anne Allan is, but there's no-one of that name or anything like it as far as I can see at Univ, (though there is a Mary-Anne Allan at Hilda's).

One might have expected Univ to have been rather more flexible - after all you are a Fellow, and as such should be in good and pretty high standing within the college (depends a bit on the type of Fellow - e.g. JRF < Tutorial Fellow).

Your best bet I should think, would be to contact the Domestic Bursar at Univ (Elizabeth Crawford), or the senior tutor (Anne Knowland). They will have the definitive answers about cats in college and the clout to make things happen.

good luck: :sheep:

Reply 8

thatfineframe

3

Ars Ludicra

Hello,

I'm quite surprised that you've been told you can't have a cat. We've had a College cat at New College for the past year who has been living with one of the fellows. As it happens that particular fellow is moving away and probably taking Otis with her. :frown:

Oh no!

I'm from New College and this had somehow completely passed me by. I mean, I realise it's probably nicer for Otis to stay with his mistress, but what a sad deprivation for everyone else - especially given that everyone was so delighted when he was found after the long absence... I thought he'd be there for years & years to come.

Reply 9

Ars Ludicra

10

thatfineframe

Oh no!

I'm from New College and this had somehow completely passed me by. I mean, I realise it's probably nicer for Otis to stay with his mistress, but what a sad deprivation for everyone else - especially given that everyone was so delighted when he was found after the long absence... I thought he'd be there for years & years to come.

I know. I was so disappointed. I first heard that he was going to stay if she found someone to look after him, but when I volunteered (I seriously love that cat) she said she'd like to take her with if possible and that leaving him was more of a last resort. I'm proposing a college micro-pig to replace him! :p:

Reply 10

Sjd73

I'm moving to Oxford with my partner this month to start a doctorate and we've had similar troubles. In the end we got a property through Martins & Co and, after being unable to find a temporary solution through friends/family, we asked our agent to ask the landlords. Fortunately they said yes, but it was touch and go I believe!

Have you tried looking at private accommodation outside Oxford itself? There are plenty of small villages nearby which are served by a regular/late night train service where you can pick up converted farm buildings. I'd expect that such landlords might be slightly more amenable to allowing you to have a pet, and it would probably be a better environment for your pet too! Good luck!

Reply 11

Liebest0d

I usually rent a place and then move in my cat secretly. I never had a problem...

I'd go with the move in with the cat and wait until someone notices. In fact, more accurately, I went with the 'move in and wait until someone notices' plan and it took until Easter of my second year for the authorities to notice my cat was living in college with me. At which time I pointed out that a) the cat clearly wasn't any problem if it hadn't been noticed before, b) I told them of all the ways I was looking after it, cleaning, offering outdoor space etc and c) I was single and there weren't any other reasonable options. College were fine with it and the cat stayed :smile:

I was a mature student (late 30s!). If I was a fellow, I'd simply take it as read, and if complaints came, make it a condition of staying. They won't throw you out of a fellowship for living with a cat!

having cats in Fellow lodgings-help

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