If you aren’t a pet person, it can be tough sometimes to understand people that are. The average pet lover spends an inordinate amount of time with their pet, walking their pet, playing with their pet and most importantly, cleaning up after their pet. We may love our cats and dogs very much, but even the neatest pet really isn’t very neat. Here are a few survival tips for those folks who aren’t pet lovers.

First, make sure your roommate cleans the cat box at least once per day. Not only does the cat deserve to have a scooped box on a daily basis, if you wait any longer than that, it often leads to a smelly box. You have the right to live in an apartment that doesn’t reek of cat urine, so don’t feel bad if you have to push this point with your roommate.

Your roommate should also be in charge of cleaning the cat hair from the places where kitty sleeps. Most cats have a favorite chair or a favorite spot to lie down on, and the hair can be absolutely overwhelming in those areas. Even if it is your turn to vacuum, they should be responsible for keeping the cat fur in the apartment under control.

Finally, while it isn’t a big deal for you to feed the cat once in a while, general care should be done by its owner. Things like trips to the vet and even discipline should be done by the owner and if they aren’t, you should speak to him or her about it.