Do landlords require cats be declawed? (Chicago: apartment complex, rental, tenants)

[jahk]

When we moved to Chicagoland in 1998, we were stunned to find that almost all the rental properties that allowed cats would only allow cats that had been declawed. This was the first time we'd ever encountered this restriction. We finally found, at the last minute, an apartment complex that allowed us to have our cats without declawing.

It turned out to be a pretty crappy apartment, with no control over the heat and lots of bugs.

Now I'm moving back to Chicago in June for a one year fellowship, and planning to bring my 2 cats with me. They are indoor/outdoor where we live now, so they're not declawed.

And I'm starting to get anxious that I'll run into the same difficulty we had 13 years ago with plenty of landlords happy to have my cats as tenants....as long as we remove their claws.

So is requiring cats to be declawed to live in rental properties common in Chicago, or did we just happen to find the outliers who wanted it? Are large properties more likely to require declawing than small properties?

[SpikeDurden]

No, I've never heard of apartment landlords here requiring a cat to be declawed. Neither my apartment, nor my girlfriends studio require that and we both have cats (with their claws). Oftentimes you pay a pet deposit though. That deposit is there in case your cat damages something in the apartment (that's not your own personal furniture.)

I would recommend converting your cats to indoor only. I would definitely not want my cats to be outdoor in Chicago.

[jahk]

Thanks for the reply.
I am planning on keeping them indoors only while I'm there. But I can't imaging myself settling permanently in a place I couldn't let them outside. So they'll need to keep their claws!

[trainfan87]

some places may want you to prove your cat is spade.

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

I had a cat in Chicago, and she had claws. My crazy Serbian landlord was okay with that. Then again, he was also okay with chain smoking in my apartment and making relatively major repairs with duct tape, so it's important to consider the source, I suppose.

[emathias]

I've never heard of such a thing, and I can't imagine the purpose. most cats don't scratch anything that's not upholstered, and unless you're renting furnished places I can't imagine what would be upholstered that would be the landlord's concern.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by emathias

I've never heard of such a thing, and I can't imagine the purpose. most cats don't scratch anything that's not upholstered, and unless you're renting furnished places I can't imagine what would be upholstered that would be the landlord's concern.

This was exactly my thought. I don't think you'll have a major issue, OP.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by trainfan87

some places may want you to prove your cat is spade.

FWIW, it's spayed -- like the past tense of spay. Spade made me giggle

[Alacran]

Originally Posted by aragx6

FWIW, it's spayed -- like the past tense of spay. Spade made me giggle

Nerrrrrd

[aragx6]

^Truth. I just figure if I was saying or spelling something super wrong (which I've definitely been known to do), I'd rather a stranger on a forum tell me than doing it in a more embarassing situation in the future!