My husband and I are looking to move on base this June. We have a cat and a dog. He is e4. I am aware that the only base housing that allows both cats and dogs for that rank is WM, however, we really like stuart mesa. So. My question is, how easy or difficult do you ladies think it would be to hide the fact that we have a cat. She is fixed and indoor only, so the only real risk of someone finding her would be if she sat in the windows. I mean, how do they find out? I know they do inspections, but do they have to give you 24 hours notice like in civilian housing laws?

the only reason we are looking at Stuart Mesa instead of WM is because SM is offering a great incentive right now. WM isn't offering any. So that's why i am wondering all this.

I love my cat, and I have had her for five years, since before I met my husband. I don't want to give her up, and if we have to, we will simply move to WM. Not a big deal, but I was just curious because the incentives for SM are so good right now, if you ladies thought it would be fairly easy to hide a cat in order to save the housing allowance.

TIA! 

There are people with severe cat allergies, such as myself, who would know there was a cat in your home regardless if it stays inside or not. If someone like me moved in after you left you'd have my death on your conscious. That's not an exaggeration either. 

There's a reason housing units allow/don't allow certain animals. 

Chefs, I had not thought of that, which was selfish of me. I am glad I posted on here asking questions then, because that is exactly why I asked for others' opinions and perspectives. Thank you! Wire Mt it is =} 

Your welcome. 

You could also look into Santa Margarita, they allow both cats and dogs there too. Unless you have too many dependents for Margarita. There is also O'neill Heights East for the rank and pets. As well as San Onofre I, San Onofre III, and South Mesa I. 

Stuart Mesas reasoning behind the no cats is the endangered field mice and that there is poison out for the ferral cats and they don't want your cat to get it.

Personally my cats are my children and I could not give them up just to save money. But everyone is different and you have to do what is best for your family! 

I have seen lots of homes in stuart mesa with cats. Indoor and outdoor. I never tattled, but if it was that easy for me to tell, I bet the people who do the maintenace outdoors would know. Not sure if they'd really care, though 

So, the no cat rule is stupid, because we should not have the mice in our homes anyway and if we have them in our home we have have the exterminator come out, so how is killing them by poison better than having ONE CAT?
UGH, its dumb. Anyways, I had two cats my fear was if someone did find out I would risk loosing her because I would be unable to bring her back to Florida soon enough to appease the housing
office, so I left them in Florida with my grandparents. I miss them dearly, especially my Angel, I have had her for 7 years, but I know she is safe and well taken care of....
Now, as for all of that, why do you like Stuart Mesa better? I think for the rank options, WM2 has MUCH larger homes(just my experience, I could be wrong).
Do not worry about people possibly living there after you will allergies, I am sorry if you have that bad of allergies I would hope you would live in pet free housing and probably and efmp home and request deep carpet cleaning prior to accepting the home, not to be rude... 

Santa Margarita allows cats and dogs. We lived there and had both. 

Jav87...there's a reason they don't allow pets in certain housing areas...and what's the difference in pet free housing and no cat housing if people are going to break the rules regardless? Move into the housing that allows pets if you want them. 

What about the dog? 

Personally my cats are my children and I could not give them up just to save money. But everyone is different and you have to do what is best for your family!
this is exactly my opinion too! Giving her up was never an option. We are just going to look into other housing that allows both cats and dogs I think and hope that they start offering incentives for the time we are ready to move.

And I didn't know it was the field mice thing! The woman at housing office just told me that if my cats were fixed and were indoors only, that no one really cares. Buuut Chef's point was really valid, so I still don't think I would try to hide my cat anymore.

San Onofre is too far away from m hubby's work, and I did look at South Mesa 1, but on the website it says e4 through e9, however, when I looked at the hot sheet, it said e6 through e9 so I am confused.

And Poe, our dog is not a concern, because we are only looking at housing that allows pets, and the only restrictions mostly apply to cats. From what I have seen looking at the housing, housing areas either allow dogs and cats, or only dogs. There may be one area that is cats only, but I didn't see it or we don't qualify.

And i should check out Santa Margarita! I forgot to check that one!

Thanks to everyone for your valuable input, this has really helped us to make the right decision. =} 

Stuart mesa is pet housing. They just do not allow cats because of the Pacific pocket mouse.e 

A ton of people have cats in Stuart Mesa. To me if you have a bad cat allergy you should not move into pet friendly housing wether its just dog friendly and your allergic to cats or your allergic to dogs and its just cat friendly. 

Just a random thought but all the houses that were used in Stuart Mesa as temp housing for the termite tenting had cats in them. So even though it's not a cat community there will be cat dander when the new people move in :/ 

There have been lots of "reasons" behind no cats in Stuart Mesa. I have heard the water nearby (the lake) has some kind of a enzyme that kills cats. Then the field mice habitat, and then the poisons although I have never heard it was to kill feral cats.

Lots of people hide their cats and no one really cares.

P.S. Camp Pendleton is a natural habitat meaning they will NOT allow any human influence to hinder the habitats on it such as field mice. Whether they are extinct or not, they are endangered in that area.

On the other hand, I have a cat and I have never had an issue with mice. In Stuart Mesa my neighbor called housing to report a mice problem so they sent a guy to check our house too since the neighbors said they thought the mice were coming from under the stairs. Well, I had never seen nor heard a mouse and he found zero evidence in my house.

If they could guarantee no cats would be outdoor cats and that the field mice wouldn't be endangered, I am sure they'd let cats in SM but since people like letting their little pets out when there are coyotes and owls and who knows what else that eat said little pets, they can't guarantee anything. 

Thanks Charlie Whiskey, our cat is strictly indoors, because we have always lived near busy streets, and I have also worked at shelters before, so I know how much longer and healthier lives indoor only cats have =}

Thanks a lot for the in depth detail! Really sincerely appreciate it. I don't think my husband and I will have a problem with our cat or our dog =} 

So the US Fish and Wildlife Service orders the protection of these mice in Stuart Mesa, and another branch of the US Gov orders the obliteration of field mice in the artillery impact range area. 

That's weird, bqc, thanks for the info tho :-) 

The "other branch of the US Gov" is the Marines Corp. It is funny that one branch tries to save the mice while another branch (indirectly) tries to wipe them out with artilleries