Apartments & declawing

[Kvla]

Hi there!

I'm looking for apartments for this upcoming year and most of the places state that I must have my cats declawed. Of course, I'm 100% against this. I'm wondering if it would be illegal to show him fake proof that my cats were declawed? Or if there's a way to sneak around it or convince him to not make me declaw my cats. She has never been destructive to any sort of carpet. She has put a couple scratches in our chair when she was younger and jumping around, but never intentional or terrible damage.

TIA

 

[ArchyCat]

First is that just the manager's policy? Or does the complex owner require declawing? If it's just the manager, offer to increase the pet deposit. If it is the owner, I would guess that you are out of luck.

 

[neely]

Personally I don't think it's ever a good idea to not tell the truth about your pets when signing an apartment lease. From my own personal experience, when we were renting an apartment sometime ago our landlord gave us his approval for one cat. However, we foolishly adopted a second cat without telling him. We needed some repairs done and he came up to the apartment without notifying us. Long story short, we lucked out because he wasn't upset but it could have turned out differently.

What about getting soft claw nail caps for covering your cat's claws?

 

[Jcatbird]

Please google your location to see if declawing is banned yet. Do this first!
If not then maybe it would be best to try and get a statement from your vet about the disabilities caused by declawing? It amounts to amputation of the tips of the bone. That is something that many of us are trying to get outlawed. In some cities it is banned already. Some states are working on that now. The nail caps already mentioned are an alternative as well as having your cats nails trimmed regularly. Perhaps documentation that you have that done regularly would work.
If you really have trouble finding housing, don’t get your cat declawed, find help from legal resources and cat advocate groups. I think they would wish to offer support. It’s a serious issue. Your cat would suffer and it can lead to many life long problems. I do understand that no one wants damage but there are ways to prevent damage without resorting to surgery on a cat. Offering to cover any possible damage should be an acceptable alternative.

 

[She's a witch]

I find this shocking. It’s so weird that they didn’t catch up with how inhumane the procedure is. Maybe they don’t know...? I’d have a honest conversation with manager/leasing office and do what Jcatbird suggests.

 

[She's a witch]

And I was also thinking, when you talk to whoever is responsible for this rule, you can let them know that declawed cats have some behavioral problems because of constant pain, they can be loud and meow excessively, they can avoid the litter box because of the pain the litter causes therefore pee around in the apartment etc. Basically I understand they assume declawed cat is better for the apartment and the community, but the reality is that mostly it’s not the case, and whoever is responsible for creating such rule, should know with what it comes with

 

[maggie101]

That is one rule I have never heard of! I really dont think they will inspect your cats to be sure they are declawed. I have 3 the leasing office doesn't know about. They never come over and if they did all my cats would hide. They will see all my cat toys but I'll just say my cat passed away. I have lived here for 7 yrs.

 

[Margret]

They never come over and if they did all my cats would hide. They will see all my cat toys but I'll just say my cat passed away.

What about litter boxes?

Margret

 

[Maria Bayote]

That is one rule I have never heard of! I really dont think they will inspect your cats to be sure they are declawed. I have 3 the leasing office doesn't know about. They never come over and if they did all my cats would hide. They will see all my cat toys but I'll just say my cat passed away. I have lived here for 7 yrs.

I lived in a small flat once with my husband and cats, although, not necessarily not allowed, but tenants in the building were not animal lovers and openly showed disgust to cats I was feeding outside.

Whenever the maintenance people come in I would hide my indoor cats inside the bathroom. It was stressful everytime so we left, not even completing our lease contract.

To the poster, consider the advice above by Jcatbird .

 

[Jcatbird]

Sadly, many do not understand how cruel and inhumane declawing is. They don’t realize it is far more than removing claws. They newest trend is tendon surgery. Stop! Let cats be cats! Things can be replaced and repaired. I used to work in real estate rentals and I understand that owners wish to protect expensive property. I was in charge of getting repairs done so I know, That’s what pet deposits are for! There is nothing a cat can do to a building that cannot be repaired. You cannot repair lost bone or cut tendons. Education is the key. I even left flyers at the vets office to let owners know what they were asking for. I “discussed the issue “ with my vet. I was distressed that it was a surgery being done there at that time. I stayed calm and just suggested alternatives. I made sure that each time I went there the discussion started in the waiting room. Lol Clientele got involved in asking questions and ALL were shocked and surprised to find that declawing had such drastic consequences. It’s very important to approach the subject in a way that educates rather than assumes people are informed. I think people expect the vet will never do anything that would be less than ideal for our cats. Declawing was accepted practice in the past. No longer, but the practice has not been banned nationwide yet. My vet no longer offers that surgery but we still have a long way to go to get it totally outlawed. If one vet won’t agree that declawing is not acceptable, go to a different vet.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

This is awful that's what deposits are for the sooner this practice is banned the better. I would definitely inform who is asking this of problems that can arise with a cat that currently has no problems. I hope you can sort this and find somewhere that doesn't want you to hurt your cat.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Amen to the above.
I do hope you can find a place where the owner has a heart for animals, particularly for the cats.

 

[LTS3]

I'm looking for apartments for this upcoming year and most of the places state that I must have my cats declawed.

Are these large professionally apartment complexes or privately owned homes where the homeowner is renting out an apartment (a two family house for instance)? A private homeowner can put any rule in the lease no matter how dumb or cruel it is.

Personally, I would not consider any apartment that requires a cat to be declawed, even if they claim to be pet friendly.

 

[maggie101]

What about litter boxes?

Margret

I guess cover with a blanket or in your closet. Luckily, I am in a secluded area, no walkways and maintenance loves cats! They probably wouldn't go in your bedroom especially if you tell them someone's getting dressed

 

[Kvla]

The one that I just viewed were private owned houses, not big apartment complexes. So, it was the owner of the apartment complex that had told us about declawing. The places we’re looking at are rundown college apartments lol. Most of the high-end apartments don't allow cats period. I’ve heard stories where landlords require it, but actually don’t care as long as your cat isn’t destructive. And my cat hasn’t ever torn up any carpet or destroyed any couches. When she was younger and crazy, we used nail caps on her to prevent her from accidentally scratching new chairs when she was pouncing around. And honestly, that was such a bad experience for my cat and I. She doesn’t let us touch her feet anymore and hates the vet (the nail caps would fall off every 2 weeks so we’d find ourselves back at the vet often where she was restrained. It got to the point where they couldn’t even touch her and have to sedate her now) after that, I’ve been working on conditioning her to allow me to cut her nails and maintain a shorter length, but it’s been hard.

Anyway, declawing isn’t banned in Wisconsin yet, but it still came as a shock when it was brought up at our first showing. While that specific location wasn’t the greatest anyway, I posted incase any of the next places we look at require declawing and how to combat it if it’s a place we’re really interested in.

Do vets usually provide information on how harmful declawing is? I probably won’t use nail caps, but I’d be willing to keep her nails cut short, pay a larger deposit fee, or promise to take care of any damages my cat may make.

 

[LTS3]

Keep looking for pet friendly apartments in your area and be specific when asking about their pet rules and restrictions. Maybe try these:

Animal Friendly Housing List | Wisconsin Humane Society

www.wihumane.org

Pet Friendly Apartments for Rent in Wisconsin – RentCafe

Browse pet-friendly apartments for rent in Wisconsin and submit your lease application now! ✓ Compare Listings ✓ Available Now ✓ Online Application.

www.rentcafe.com

Wisconsin Pet Friendly Apartments & Houses For Rent - 161 Rentals | Zillow

Fast, free, map based search of pet friendly apartments and houses for rent where pets are allowed in Wisconsin.

www.zillow.com

Pet Friendly Apartments For Rent in Madison WI - 4,963 Rentals | Apartments.com

We simplify the process of finding a new apartment by offering renters the most comprehensive database including millions of detailed and accurate apartment listings across the United States. Our innovative technology includes the POLYGON™ search tool that allows users to define their own search...

www.apartments.com

I'd avoid college apartments. They're usually not safe, at least in the college town I'm in. No working or even installed fire / smoke / CO detectors, fire traps, illegal rooms, no second exit, absentee landlords who don't care if things are broken or working working safely, etc.

I've heard of people getting their vets to write a letter about the pet's good behavior, etc to show to prospective landlords. Sometimes it works to secure the apartment even if the landlord was initially "no pets".

Vets who do declaws may or may not educate the pet owner on the risks of the procedure and long term issues.

 

[WillowMarie]

Following! While I did not live on my own back in the previous state I lived, when trying to find apartments, I ran into the same thing. Either cats were not allowed, or they had to be declawed. My cats have never destroyed anything either.

I have read online about having more cats than they will accept (have 3, but state only 2), that feedback from a previous landlord about your pets can help. Maybe this would help in this scenario, given if you've rented before.

 

[Kvla]

Thank you for the list! Unfortunately, this will be my first time renting. I currently live in a studio/suite-style dorm with my cat and they probably won't attest to how "non-destructive" she's been here.
I'm also a college student, so college housing is what we'll probably have to stick with, but we're definitely going to do research on the place before signing our leases to make sure that everything is working and cat-safe.

 

[Sugar Plum]

Check the laws and bylaws in your area. In Ontario, you can't refuse to lease to someone just because they have a domestic pet, and they certainly can't tell you what 'medical' care you need to give your cat. Is there no cat lover in the area renting a room in their house? I'd do that and sacrifice some of my privacy rather than declaw anything. I'm not a fan of cosmetic amputation - be it 'declawing', 'docking' or 'cropping'. If animals were meant to be minus some appendages, they'd have been born that way.

 

[basscat]

I'd have just read the rules wrong and proceeded that way.