House rules to blame

Louis the cat is no longer allowed to leave his new apartment

Louis the cat is already ten years old, and he is still very adventurous and always wants to get out into the great outdoors.(Bild: Wolfgang Spitzbart)

Wilhelm Scharinger wanted to move into a new apartment in Vöcklabruck with his partner and pet cat Louis. But now a big problem has arisen for the 59-year-old: According to the house rules, free-roaming cats are prohibited in the apartment complex.

Wilhelm Scharinger (59) no longer understands the world. On 1 July, he, his partner (63) and their beloved cat "Louis", who has been with them for years, were supposed to move into a new 70 square meter apartment in the center of Vöcklabruck. "We live in a very remote location, we always need a car and we're not getting any younger. We want to move to the city," says Scharinger. But now everything could be very different.

Adventurous freelancer
When Scharinger received the rental agreement and house rules to sign two weeks ago, he couldn't believe his eyes. "It suddenly said that free-roaming cats were prohibited," says Scharinger. But the fact is that his "Louis" is an adventurous free-roamer. But what particularly annoys Scharinger: "I said from the beginning and again and again that we have a cat that goes outside. I was always told that it wasn't a problem at all. And now this."

Not willing to compromise
The Vöcklabruck resident contacted the non-profit housing association that built the apartments. However, they are not willing to compromise and insist on the cat ban. "I wonder what the point is, because it's hard to control where the cats come from. Besides, I'm supposed to air the room twice a day. The 'Louis' would soon be gone," he wonders.

Wilhelm Scharinger in front of his new apartment. But he can't be happy yet because there's a problem.(Bild: Wolfgang Spitzbart)

Money already invested
In the worst-case scenario, Scharinger won't be able to move into his new apartment after all, because he certainly won't be moving in without his "Louis". "I already have a lawyer who is trying to find a solution. But if I don't move in, I want my money back," he says. After all, the cat owner has already invested more than 2,000 euros in a shower and paid around 5,000 euros towards the building costs.

Nicole Hager-Wildenrotter from the tenants' association comments on the case: "It would of course be better to come to an agreement in advance. Otherwise you have to fight it out in court as to whether the restriction to free-roaming cats is permissible. A general ban on animals is not permitted." Unfortunately, the Gemeinnützige Siedlungsgesellschaft did not respond to an inquiry from the "Krone".

Kommentar

So ein Katzenjammer

The coexistence of people must be regulated. House rules are certainly justified, even if it can be assumed that many regulations are often seen as a friendly recommendation. It is doubtful whether it makes sense to ban free-roaming cats. 

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, Alexander Schwarzl, Markus Wenzel)

After all, very few cats wear a name tag, and even "non-resident" cats are very difficult to prevent. So the fact that no attempt was made to make an exception in the case of the ten-year-old cat "Louis" and allow him to go out probably falls into the category of "Vurschrift is' Vurschrift".