Expats / Locals with Cats, where do you all live ?

Hello Ray and thanks for the introduction.

For the accommodation, have you tried to post an advert in the Accommodation section of Vienna classifieds?

Harmonie.

yes I have.
but I thought perhaps I could form a support group for all expats and locals who live with their pets.
I welcome all notes of friendship and support.
Thank you !

Hi,

Austrians are extremely into pets!! there is no fear that you would not find place suitable for cats. I have two dogs myself and my neighbours have two cats that walk around on their own most of the day. People with dogs can use special dog parks which are all over Vienna and you can bring your dogs into shopping malls, restaurants.... We are paying special taxes for keeping dogs but Vienna is really extremely friendly for any pats and their owners. I heard somewhere (but that needs to be checked) that according to the new rent law (mietrecht) you can keep pets even without approval of the owner of your apartment. But still, I would rather ask them first if they are OK with you bringing cats. I thing you can hardly find a country in EU that would be so friendly in every way to those who have either dogs or other pets.

No fear, you will love it here and your cats as well.

Regards,

Thank you for your kind note,
I am so glad to hear all that you mentioned,
It is great to know that Austria is such a pet-friendly place,
Just hope I can manage my plans to move there in the next few months, hopefully,
All the best to all of you !
Respectfully,
Ray.

Hi,

I am an Austrian citizen and have 2 cats, but I am living in a flat, so my cats never go out. There are few districts in Vienna where you can live in a little row house (suburbs 10., 23., 21., 22.)and your pets can go out. My son is living at a little village 12 km from Vienna and he has 2 cats too. Both are going out and when he is at his work in Vienna, the cats stay at the house. I think you should get in touch with a real estate agency in Austria and tell them what you want to have. Or you know somebody here, who can do that for you. You too can ask people at http://www.virtualvienna.net or http://www.vienna-expats.net

Villages very close to Vienna are: Lanzendorf (train to Vienna - 3 stations), Leopoldsdorf (busses to Vienna), Himberg (bus and train to Vienna).
Do you know the German language? In Vienna you wont have problem with English, but at the country not many people know how to talk in English.

All the best for you and your cats

Gesirone

Well, more good news !
Thank you very much for taking the time to write such useful and detailed info about Vienna, I really appreciate it.
I will definitely take a look at the 2 websites you mentioned, and continue my search there as well.
I will also consider the areas outside Vienna that you mentioned, since they are more like what I was looking for, and now I have a clearer view regarding the exact locations that sound suitable for my situation, very useful indeed !
These 2 cats are very dear to me since I rescued them from a horrible situation with little chance of survival, and now they have turned into such loving companions, and I will do my best to take care of them the best I can, and that is why I have had such an emphasis on a suitable housing for the 3 of us.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. Mahatma Gandhi

I understand how you are feeling. My cats are like a family too and if you have decided to have pets you carry responsibility.
Very good from Mahatma Gandhi you wrote.

Dear RayCirus,
May be I am a bit late to write an answer to you here? I found your ad just by chance, as I use Expat.com only because I live partly in Istanbul and I was just curious about the life of foreigners Austria. I am Viennese and sometimes I feel a little bored here. I also have two cats and I cannot imagine life without them. When I go to Istanbul they stay with a friend of mine who is also their previous owner. In Vienna I have a big appartment and I'm not yet sure what I am going to do with it in the future, as my husband has a house outside Vienna (about 50 km from Vienna) and it doesn't really make much sense to maintain three places. I am trying to persuade my husband to create some more space there, so that I can also stay there while I am in Austria. He - having grown up in a village - he doesn't appreciate cats inside the house very much and we must really find a way how to arrange all that. As a matter of fact, this appartment - which I own - might become empty within the next few months and I would have to look for tenants. My cats are very happy there and they LOVE the terrace, which I have secured with a net so that they are not in danger of falling down. If your cats are used to staying in an appartment I'd say it would be a big change for them to live in a garden. Sometimes they might go too far, they are not used to the traffic, and I am always very sad when I see cats having been killed by cars in the countryside.
My appartment - if my plans work out at all - would be a little to big for you I guess (your text reads as if you are planning to come to Vienna without family), it is 137m2, located in Vienna-Floridsdorf, 5-10 minutes walk to the subway station, about 30 minutes from the city center either by subway or by bike.
I suggest that you place an ad in the "Bazar" (that's free of charge), specifying what exactly you want and how much you are willing to pay.
go to:  bazar.at/gratis-anzeige-aufgeben
If you wish to contact me, my e-mail is turnovsky,p@gmail.com
Regards, Petra

very interesting thread.
I like cats very much and I have a cat for 10 years now but I have to move to Austria to study next Semester and I was thinking of living somewhere where I can have a new cat (it's almost impossible for me to bring my cat with me)
I would really like to know what RayCyrus did in that situation.

Hello reemho -> Just to note that this thread is a bit old!

Thank you,
Aurélie

Yes I know it's over a year ago, but I find it really interesting and I'm really excited to know if things went well with him and he could bring his cats to a cats-friendly environment

Ray and others who have replied to this old thread,

Hello, Though I wish to move to Vienna from Istanbul, host to thousands of lovely street cats and dogs, I would also like to bring along my cat, Skoobie.  She was a street cat who just preferred to live indoors until a friend found her and then she was mine. 

I have always loved how in Viennese cafes, you will sometimes find customers walking in with dogs on leashes, and they have them sit down next to them and the waiters and others simply walk around them, as they are welcome. It's a quaint characteristic of Vienna (and perhaps elsewhere in Austria). 

Ray, were you ever able to find a ground level flat with a garden as you had wished?   I hope so.  I hope I am fortunate to find one as well.  Skoobie prefers it indoors, but she might find that she enjoys the snow and forests.

Others - feel free to share your thoughts or suggestions.

We are in a small house in the 22nd district. Our landlord is happy for us to have our two cats with us. One loves to be outside (inside at night) and the other likes to be next to me all day!

My friend, with a cat, has a ground floor flat with a garden.

Just make sure you tell your letting agent that you want to have a cat up front. It will make things a lot easier.

Reemho; why can't you bring your cat with you? I have a cat who moved from Saudi Arabia with me to the UK and now out here. She is very happy. Our other cat is from a farm near Linz. He doesn't stop purring. :-)


My local vet always has rescue cats and kittens looking for a forever home.