Any way absentee owners are great, when I started working them no body else was and it was easy living.

It then becomes a question of would you rather have them coming and going to get fast food and eat it upstairs and our house then smelling like greasy fast food or would you rather have them cook a meal or join you for a home cooked meal?

Next you have the main body of your buyers list.

Check with your state's licensing body or with a lawyer.  

But our concern is the damage the cat has potentially done or will do to the home (flooring, smell, etc.).

Most of us are pretty suggestible and will respond to a stranger's house with conscious and unconscious opinions about the furniture, the smells, whether it looks happy or sad, etc.

If you plan to allow pets, I would rehab/choose the place accordingly; of course things like avoiding carpets in favor of durable laminates (that won't retain smells) will factor into your decision making.Ultimately I decided I'd rather have a high quality tenant with a pet.

@Brandon Blakley your pest control guy is blowing smoke, I have never heard of ants causing mold or smell. 

If people are willing to reach out across half the world for a job and the able bodied of Joe welfare isn't willing to get off his *** and get to work....can you really blame them?

As far as the cat you are correct, but by having a pet it is your responsibility to remove any smell or residue.The house cleaning 300.00 and the carpet cleaning 500.00 are part of that responsibility.