I hope it all works out for you. The only thing that worries me if you got a cat is if they caught you while you weren't home and took the cat out. I would think most apartment managers would try to contact you first and make you pay fines or evict you, but they do have the right to remove the animal themselves. If you do get caught and your manager is nice enough to wait and contact you, it sounds like you're collecting good arguments. GOOD LUCK!