Finding a reasonably priced rental in pricey London can be a Herculean task. So when a listing recently popped up asking just $1,272 a month, it caught a lot of attention. But there’s a catch — a “cat-ch,” so to speak.
This peculiar offer has surfaced on Facebook, in which a homeowner is seeking a working professional or a student to share a ground-floor flat in the Kensal Green neighborhood. The twist? The new tenant will sleep in the living room and care for two cats.
The ad, amusingly written from the cats’ perspective, describes a cozy setup: “We are a couple of cats that live in a large one-bedroom ground floor flat with a private garden on a quiet street in a great location with great access.” The playful ad continues, “We live with a lovely couple of humans that take care of us, they think the place is theirs, but it’s ours.”
The ad explains that the living room, which will be the tenant’s domain, has high ceilings, a single bed and a couch that can be converted into a double bed. There’s also a desk for those who work from home. Shared amenities include a bathroom, a dining room and a kitchen.
The cats’ “voice” in the ad adds a touch of humor: “Like we said, the male never uses it, so it is your private space which we only hope you’ll be cool to let us cats hang in there if we choose sometimes.”
Reactions online have been mixed, ranging from amusement to disbelief.
A tweet by @EloiseHndy showcasing the ad has garnered more than a million views. “If you didn’t already know that the London rental scene is the wild west, here is a post written in the voice of two cats, offering someone the chance to sleep in a living room for £1,000 a month,” she wrote.
Commenters have voiced their surprise and skepticism. “It starts with ‘we are two cats’ and somehow only gets worse from there,” one person remarked. Another questioned the practicality: “How private is private if the cats are in there? Is the door always open or does the living room door have a cat flap?”
Despite the odd setup, some pointed out that the price isn’t entirely unreasonable by London standards. “£1,000 all-inclusive for a large and airy room in London is nowhere near as shocking as you think,” one commenter noted.
Still, the ad has left many wondering about the lengths they would go to find affordable housing in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
