2 Cats Live By Themselves In $1500/Mo. Silicon Valley Studio
WILLOW GLEN (KPIX 5) - They may be Silicon Valley's most unusual and pampered tenants: two cats are staying in a casita located behind a single family home in Willow Glen.
Louise and Tina like to lounge around the cat tree. According to landlord David Callisch, they mind themselves, don't complain, and the $1,500/month rent comes on time.
"It's quirky isn't it? I never planned for this to happen," said Callisch. "People love their pets, they're part of their family, so I wanted to help out my buddy."
His buddy is Victoria Amith's father. Amith is a freshman at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, and she couldn't take Louise and Tina with her to the dorms when she started school.
Her father lives in the Bay Area, but when his fiance's dog and the cats didn't get along, he was looking for a quick solution.
"He says, 'Hey, would you mind if I--how about if I rented your place?'" said Callisch. "I said, 'Well, what do you mean?' He says, 'Well, you wouldn't have to deal with people all the time if you rented it, and I could stick the cats there. I'm close, I could come visit.' I said, 'Really?'"
The space comes with a bathroom and shower as well as an Apple TV, but it doesn't have a kitchen.
The cats may be getting a good deal--rents in Willow Glen for a studio fall just under $2,000/month.
Victoria Amith says it's a temporary solution until she gets her own place after the school year.
"It's not in a public space, it's in someone's backyard, because there's obviously a huge housing issue in the area, and I don't want people to be like, 'Oh, this is taking away the housing,'" Amith told KPIX via Skype.
• ALSO READ: 9 Astonishing Numbers On The Bay Area Housing Crisis In 2018
The cats live in an area where the differences between the haves and the have-nots are especially pronounced, and housing prices are sky high.
"It's difficult because there is so much homelessness and there's so much disparity in incomes in this Valley and it's hard, and one person can't solve those problems," said Callisch.
The cats have stayed in the studio since July. Callisch feeds the cats everyday and Amith visits when she has breaks from school.
