Apartment Complex *requiring* all cats be declawed - Help!

[LaRana]

I live in Austin, Texas at a "luxury" apartment complex on the south side of town. About 4 months ago, a new property management group named Management Support took over. They have issued a few outlandish requirements about pets. 1) no kittens allowed. 2) ALL cats must be declawed. 3) all cats must be spayed (and it is assumed that they also mean neutered).

I have a 5 & 1/2 year old Bengal cat who has been neutered but not declawed. Obviously the only issue I have is with #2. I have lived at this apartment complex for almost 2 years now, and my lease expires at the end of January. I have a contract with the previous property management, so they cannot enforce these rules on me - until I try to renew my lease. I have loved living at my apartment complex, and would be willing to renew if the price was right and if my cat could retain his claws. I absolutely refuse to declaw my cat in order to maintain residency here. My cat has never destroyed carpet or furniture. He uses his scratchpost like a good boy. This "zero tolerance" policy is wrong on so many levels and are really pointless to discuss. That is not the purpose of this post.

I have tried talking to the management at the office, and their hands are tied. The only alternative they have provided me is a complaint form to send to the management company's main headquarters in California. Before I send the form back, I was curious to see if anyone else has encountered this issue and if they know of any good resources to help me fight the good fight. Ideally, I would like to see this property management company change their policy. I would hate to see someone get bullied into spending extra money on a completely unnecessary and inhumane procedure for their cat.

[Freedom]

Check with the state SPCA for some ideas. Ask your vet for suggestions of which associations may help. (Some vets will know, others won't; doesn't make them bad vets, just depends on their interests and focus.) Call the state bar association, they often will give referrals to 3 attorneys who work in the area you are interested in- animal welfare. Then check with those attorneys of which groups they think could help. (I am not suggesting you hire an attorney, you should be able to do all this free.)

I have never heard of this before and can't believe this declaw requirement can stay in force.

[LaRana]

Thanks for the suggestion. I went to the SPCA's website and submitted a request. I'll see if they can help. Other suggestions would be greatly appreciated as well!

[Karen]

I would also speak to other tenants that you know who have cats. This seems like it is completely unfair, and cruel. Maybe write anti-declawing vets if you know any, who can speak to the unnecessary nature of it, and tell others about the plastic claw covers they can get for cats, too, called "soft paws" that lets them keep their claws but not do any damage.

[catmandu]

THAT IS TERRIBLE NEWS AND ONCE AGAIN THE RESPONSIBLE PET GUARDIANS ARE PRAYING FOR THE BAD ONES.
:mad::mad:
WE HOPE YOU WIN AS DECLAWING IS TRAUMATIC ENOUGH ON A YOUNG CAT, AND MUCH WORSE ON AN ALREADY MATURE CAT:(:eek:

[susanswatlin518]

That Is Absolutely Mind=boggling That Any Decent Human With Any Heart At All Would Even Think Of Making A Tenant Have Her Beloved Declawed!!!! Don't Let This Rest-they Probably Don't Realize The Pain It Causes A Cat To Be Declawed. It Is Not Unlike Ripping The Ends Off One's Fingertips. I Don't Think The Cat Ever Forgets The Painful Trauma Of This. Press The Issue And Why Not Get On Your Local Public Access Tv Station If You Have One Near You. My Lease Had The Spay/neuter Needed Claus-and Both Of Mine Are Spayed/neutered. Anythings Else Is Cruel. Let People Know This Is Wrong! Public Access Is There For All To Use! :d:dsusanswatlin518

[momcat]

You might want to consider joining forces with other cat owners and start a petition explaining how cruel this is and include statements from sympathetic vets graphically explaining the actual proceedure and long term effects on the poor kitty. I'll sign it in a heartbeat!

[Ginger's Mom]

I have never heard of an apartment complex being able to tell a tenant they must surgically alter their animal. I wonder how they intend to enforce it. Are they going to go to all of the apartments every few months and demand to see their animals toes, or lack thereof? Quite frankly, it would be easier, and probably more defensible to just say that the new management does not allow animals.

[Catty1]

Glad you contacted the SPCA...I wonder if there are any bylaws or animal cruelty bylaws that would prohibit this? It might be worth noting that declawing has been illegal in Europe and the UK for years.

I like the idea of a few of the cat owners in your building getting together, and finding a pet-friendly lawyer to write a "nice" letter to the management company. Wouldn't hurt to find out about landlord-tenant laws as well.

GOOD LUCK - please keep us posted!

[kt_luvs_kitties]

You could also call the media. They would jump all over this! Please fight this, dont let them determine wheter or not you want to declaw your kitty.

I think the spay part is brilliant!

[moosmom]

Katie is right. Get the media involved. Call every newspaper and tv station there is. If you have lived in the apartment for a while and already signed a lease that did NOT have a declawing clause in it, they have no case and you should be 'grandfathered' in. Get a lawyer. I'd do anything to protect my furbabies. And declawing is abuse.

[Tora Oni]

Wow, that is news to me. I mean my parents pretty much set the rule that um Stormy was getting declawed no matter what I said. On upside to that which there really isn't much is its only is front claws and they knocked him out and such. We used newspaper for longer than the suggested amount of time b/c we didn't like the idea of adding more issues to that. So due to lack of knowledge I have now I would have told them I would have bought caps for his claws rather than that but I didn't make any money back then b/c I was too young. If I could had that choice I would have. So I seriously think that is a kinda of a unnecessary rule, considering their are claw caps that come a reasonable price and fits all diffrent sizes and comes in all sorts of covers on Drfostersmith.com. I still feel bad b/c Stormy is my first cat and somethings happen that are kinda out of my control since he was a stray that we found at the park.

[Tora Oni]

You could also call the media. They would jump all over this! Please fight this, dont let them determine wheter of not you want to declaw your kitty.

I think the spay part is brilliant!
Yeah I have to agree with Katie here too. Plus she is right the Spaying/Nuetering part is brilliant.

[mruffruff]

I'm sure the management doesn't realize that one one of the results of declawing can be inappropriate urination! They might find that to be a worse problem than cats claws.

I hope you can change their minds.

[moosmom]

Tora Oni,

To set the record straight, it ISN'T just like taking out their claws. It's chopping the first link of each digit off and making them walk on it. Try chopping your finger off at the first digit and walking around and see how it feels. I don't mean to be so blunt, but people need to know the facts. Some vets here in CT won't do it. Others do it because it brings in money. I suggest to everyone who is looking for a declawed cat, to find one who is already declawed.

Your cat is stunning. Glad he's okay. Some cats just never recover from it.

[Anikaca77]

I AGREE 100%!


Katie is right. Get the media involved. Call every newspaper and tv station there is. If you have lived in the apartment for a while and already signed a lease that did NOT have a declawing clause in it, they have no case and you should be 'grandfathered' in. Get a lawyer. I'd do anything to protect my furbabies. And declawing is abuse.

[Anikaca77]

I Agree with Katie too! Spay/Neuter should be a must!


Yeah I have to agree with Katie here too. Plus she is right the Spaying/Nuetering part is brilliant.

[LaRana]

I decided that I should post a flyer at the mailboxes and have people contact me through an anonymous email address. We'll see how long that flyer stays up before they remove it :P I'm going to write one up today and post it tonight.

I have not heard back from the ASPCA yet. I did consider contacting the media on this. Afterall, I live in *Austin* and there are plenty of animal lovers and activists in this town. I'm quite sure the media would have a field day with this one. I don't want to get the spotlight on this unless it becomes clear that it is necessary.

Actually, the letter said that all cats must be spayed - and it didn't say anything about neutering! That tells me that there might be some potential holes to punch in their documentation if they overlooked that. Plus the "no kittens" rule is just ludicrous. You might not be able to tell by looking at him, but my cat was a kitten at one time! I do have an issue with the spay/neuter rule. I'll agree it is best for the pets (mine have all been fixed), but I don't think an apartment should be the one making that decision for the pet owner. If someone wants to wait to fix their cat after it reaches a certain age or certain health milestones, then let them. The "zero tolerance" removes the discretion of the cat owner. What if the cat was already pregnant when moving into the apartment? Are they going to require that they be spayed so that no kittens be allowed in? I could sit here and play the "what if?" game all day long, but I digress. Personally, I wouldn't give them too much credit for having a "brilliant" idea since they obviously don't have the cats' best interests in mind. I tried talking to them to see if they had any common sense in allowing discretion (in not making me declaw a 5 & 1/2 year old cat) and they obviously weren't budging.

[catfamily]

i would move....as quick as possible.
i also have to say...a cat is NEVER EVER the same after declawing it.
The pain is apparent and for life!

[LaRana]

One more update:

I contacted the Austin Tenants' Council. They said that 1) because the apartment complex gave more than a 30 day notice of the change of policy and 2) they are not trying to enforce it under my previous contract with the previous property management - they are within their right to establish these rules.

It goes without saying: "Just because they have the right to do something doesn't make it the right thing to do."

They also said that I am within my right to post a flyer at the bulletin board at the mailboxes. They said to be careful that they might remove it, so it might be the best idea to do a petition as I had planned by having individuals contact me through an anonymous email.

And yes, I will definitely move instead of even considering declawing my cat!

[emily_the_spoiled]

You can also try contacting your local law school at the beginning of September. Many law schools now have student chapters associated with the Humane Society or the ASPCA that will fight for animal rights. Maybe they could give you some ideas.

[shepgirl]

Don't know if you have any vets against declawing where you live, but most of ours will not declaw, crop ears or tails. If you could fing some of these vets and have them all sign a letter explaining the cruelty of this, you could present it to the landlord. Also invite him in to check your apartment so they can see there is no damage done. Declawing is very painful to a cat according to my vet. If you prefer staying in your apartment I would band with other cat owners and put up a stand, with media involved.

[jennielynn1970]

It's crappy, but I know here in PA, tenants really don't have many rights at all. The landlord or the management company can really require almost anything of their tenants if they are signing new leases, or if the old ones expire and new ones are required.

Basically I think it comes down to, if you want to live there, you have to abide by their rules and management styles. We have apartment complexes around here that don't allow children, so I can see where they can say "no kittens/puppies" or whatever else their silly little minds come up with.

If it were me, I'd be moving and finding a new place to reside. You can fight it, but how much will it cost you to fight it?? And then what if they decide to not renew you lease anyway, and they give some other frivolous reason for not doing so? They can do those types of things, and it sucks.

[Catty1]

I'd also say move, but not before bringing the petition together, and bringing the media into this!

It might help a lot more pets - because if more buildings do this, then where will everyone move in the future???

HUGS and go get 'em!

[G535]

I'd move too.

Declawing is barbaric and has been illegal down here (Australia) for years.

[LaRana]

I thought I would post an update.

I spoke to the apartment complex manager a couple months back, and they told me they couldn't do anything about it. They gave me a complaint form to send back to the management company in California, and sent me on my merry little way.

Well, my lease expires at the end of February, so I went into the office to talk to them about my leasing options. I explained that I absolutely would not be renewing my lease if they expected me to declaw my cat. The girl said that they didn't have a policy on cat declawing and they never did. I was completely stunned at the conflicting information. I showed her things in writing that they had sent me saying such, and she was shocked.

Bottom line, my cat isn't being declawed (never will be), they aren't requiring it anymore, but I'm still unsure if I'll be renewing my lease for reasons that are unrelated to this post.

[lvpets2002]

:eek: OMG this is just Horrible.. Yes dear fight for your baby.. Declawing is so so Cruel.. Like the rest said Call the Media & they will stir up some stink.. Get other tenants to help you fight this.. Oh by the way Welcome to another Texan.. I am up here in the MetroPlex..

[Medusa]

I thought I would post an update.

I spoke to the apartment complex manager a couple months back, and they told me they couldn't do anything about it. They gave me a complaint form to send back to the management company in California, and sent me on my merry little way.

Well, my lease expires at the end of February, so I went into the office to talk to them about my leasing options. I explained that I absolutely would not be renewing my lease if they expected me to declaw my cat. The girl said that they didn't have a policy on cat declawing and they never did. I was completely stunned at the conflicting information. I showed her things in writing that they had sent me saying such, and she was shocked.

Bottom line, my cat isn't being declawed (never will be), they aren't requiring it anymore, but I'm still unsure if I'll be renewing my lease for reasons that are unrelated to this post.

Well, this is great news! Your kitty will be safe from declawing and the stress you were under is gone. Congrats! I wish you well in your new home if you do decide to move for other reasons. :)

[Randy_K]

What is the name of the new management company and where in California?

[MoonandBean]

Amazing how the right side of their brain doesn't know what the left side is doing.....Sounds like a screwy management. I'm glad their lack of communication will benefit the cats (and their toes!)

Thanks for the update :)

[kattaddorra]

Hi, I've just been reading this topic and it's very interesting because we in England were so shocked last November to discover that declawing is still legal in the USA.So after much research into the subject and contacting the AVMA and every state in the USA, I started up a petition to have it banned, as it's supposed to be a last resort procedure for serious scratching problems,yet some vets are doing it routinely to kittens, along with neutering:
http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=4312
We also started a group:
http://clawsforever.ning.com/
so that as many of us as possible could get together with ideas and gather information, proof of how declawing affects cats, statistics of how many declawed cats end up in shelters etc ....to eventually present to the AVMA along with as many signatures as we can get.
The other day I heard from one of our group about some property firms insisting that tenants have their cats declawed,then I came across this site where some had fought it and won !
It seems more and more USA citizens are against declawing and a lot of people once they've had it done to a cat say they'd never do it again.But there are still some who don't know it often cripples cats physically and mentally and while some vets will still do this cruel operation, for the money or to please their clients,cats and kittens are still suffering.
So the only way to stop it is by a ban ! If anyone can help us please by signing our petition and/or joining our group to give us advice and ideas, we'd be very grateful.We have 997 signatures, in the 2 months since I set it up,many are Americans who want it banned.But we need many many more to make an impact,so please if you can pass it on too, it would be a great help.
Thank you.
Ruth aka kattaddorra