I hate to be the bad guy and say this  "it should" be used to clean the air
system out, to clean the carpet and wipe down everything.  Just like smokers
no matter how much we love out furballs.  They leave behind hair and
dandruff which can be sensitive to non pet people.  Now if you paid for this
to be cleaned yourself, shampooed the rugs and wiped down everything and it
was clean.  Yes than the pet deposit should be returned there is no legal
reason they could keep it.

Hell, *I* cause a lot more damage than my cats. But yeah, I don't get
the non-refundable thing either, but I did the same thing. It was worth
it to me to have my cats.

Children *do* cause a lot of damage, but I have to say, my cats are very
good at the art of destruction, too!

They've dug a hole in the drywall in the bathroom (which we've blocked off
with a board) and they're currently working on digging a new hole in the
hallway.  (Trust me, they have toys galore, scratching posts and a patch of
sisal attached to another wall, but they prefer to destroy things that
aren't theirs.  Go figure!)  Tyrone's favorite scratching place is my
bedroom carpet and it's getting shredded to bits - literally bits; I find
sections all over the house because he bats around the pieces that break
free.  He's already displaced the carpet from the carpet tacks which makes
it an even more enjoyable experience to him because it lifts up.  Pua loves
to tear apart a chair that my husband made and shards of wood get left
everywhere in my bedroom.  Chloe prefers to carve into the kitchen cabinets
and the wood trim around the bathroom door.  Oh, and let's not even talk
about the hardwood floor scratches from the zoomies!!!!

It's like an automatic alarm to me, now.  I hear a noise, I know what it is
and I know who's doing it.  If I'm sleeping, the sound actually wakes me up.
LOL.  I can be staring at the computer, hear something, not even turn
around, and say, "Chloe, quit it!"  The noise stops.

Cats are such funny little creatures, aren't they?  They can drive you
absolutely crazy, but when they snuggle up to you and purr, any sort of
anger you may have had at them just melts away.  I will never, ever have a
cat-less household.  I love the little dears, destructive or not.  And,
luckily, so does my husband - who is the one who has to fix it all.   :~)

kili

I agree with the concept of a "kid deposit" :)  I don't have children but
over the years I've certainly been witness to destructive behavior *in my
own home* by children of friends.  I know you don't let Cary run amok but
I'm truly surprised at how many parents do!

In one particular instance the woman who was my matron of honor blithely
ignored the fact that her two year old had removed an expensive hardback
book from my bookcase and was about to start ripping pages out of it!  Then
she had the nerve to get angry with me for yelling, "Tiffany, NO!  Put that
down!"

In another instance a different friend came over with her two toddlers.  One
of them found a pencil (thank god it wasn't a pen or magic marker!) and
started to draw on the wall.  Once again, "mom" got irritated when I walked
over and took the pencil from the boy and corrected him since it was obvious
she wasn't going to say a word.  Hey, I don't care what your kid does in
your home or *to* your home but they aren't going to do it in mine.

As someone else pointed out, security deposits generally cover *routine*
damage and wear and tear to rental property.  I've never moved into a rental
(be it a house or an apartment) where the carpets and window blinds hadn't
first been cleaned or replaced and the walls repainted as a matter of course
between tenants.  And in some instances I've actually gotten most (never
all) of my security deposit back.

I do *somewhat* understand pet deposits but it should be called a
non-refundable pet damage fee since we all know you aren't going to get it
back!

Jill