Monday, April 21, 2008

Engineers explain cats

I suppose if I ever wanted to increase my odds of finding a smart guy, I could enroll in engineer school - the odds are good but the goods are odd. That said, I love this video by an engineer who has a sense of humor and three nice cats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHXBL6bzAR4


When I was looking for a new place to live I called several apartments in my price range close to my work. One of the things that I thought was unfair was "Pet Rent". I fully understand first and last months rent and a security deposit in case of property damage but I never grasped pet rent.

I have a cat. She is old. Nineteen years old actually. She has roughly 36,000 miles on her, has a passport and is health certified. She is small, four pounds including hair, eats less than a cup of food per week, chucks up an occasional hairball but gives me lots of affection, in her stuck up, conditional catty way.

When I phoned about the availability of apartments and got down to the money requirements, I was told by a few places that the pet rent for my cat was an additional $25 per month. One place wanted $40 and a non-refundable $150 deposit.

Uh. Really? What for? Why? Aren't pet damages included in the security deposit? Do you charge rent per child too? No? Why not? As far as I know, my cat has never picked up a Bic lighter and burned an apartment building to the ground making dozens of people homeless. Maybe you should consider that when renting to negligent parents of beligerant kids.

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