It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. This year I am celebrating, or not, my twentieth year in real estate. Yesterday I experienced a career first. I encountered a cat that was so terrifying that I ended up running out of the house.
The homeowners had at least one camera on that I could see so I talked to them about their cat as I ran from room to room in case they were listening too.
As much as I like cats and dogs too I learned long ago not to touch them when I encounter them in houses I am showing. This animal was adorable but it kept meowing as I entered the house and then it followed me. The cat jumped onto furniture claws out hissing at me as I walked by. At one point it sunk its claws into my leg.
It didn’t follow me into the basement but was waiting claws out, teeth bared, and hissing as I tried to go back up the stairs and leave the basement. It is a good thing I was unarmed or I may have had to hurt the cat when it lunged at me and tried to bite me.
Once I got out of the basement I ran out the front door and quickly closed it behind me. I hope the homeowners got it all on camera.
There was that one time 15 years ago or so that a client’s dog bit me while I was meeting with him about selling his house. It left a bruise but didn’t break the skin.
There was also that time when I discovered that an entire crawl space under a house was being used as a litter box. That was something I would like to unsee but even if I could I don’t think the memory of the smell would go away.
Once when I opened a door a cat came running out. My clients chased the cat but it got away. Never chase an animal that is running away it will only run faster.
I left a note in the house. We all felt bad about it but I later learned that the cat was one of those free-range cats that is allowed to roam the streets. The cat returned home and probably got to kill some birds that are on the endangered species list that day before it pooped in some child’s sandbox.
Just like some types of housing I have many stories. I could write an entire article about door locks and the challenges of getting into people’s houses even when I have keys.
