Thank you, all, for the input.
The boyfriend has a dog, so he should understand her relationship with her cats. I am definitely going to suggest to her that she should explain it to him in a way that he might understand: "what if I hated your dog??? how would you feel?" I think that this is valid, and maybe turning the tables will help some.
An inside joke: she said to me "Thelma, if the cats ruined his rugs, it would be a blessing to me, because the rugs are hideous!"
Anyway, she is willing to work with him and accept his ugly rugs, so why shouldn't he accept her with all that she comes with?
Also, the dog and the cats get along fine (something that I would be more concerned about than some stupid rugs!!), so no problem there.
I totally agree with everyone: get rid of the boyfriend! But they have already purchased the apartment, so there you have it. Personally, I think that, if you haven't even moved in together and there are already major disagreements like this one, then that's a sign of things to come. I do, however, like this girl very much, I know that she is a good person who loves her cats, and I know that she is trying very hard to make things work out. I just want to be able to help her out, as it is obviously stressing her out a great deal,
I also want to point out that the boyfriend wasn't the one to suggest that she put the cats down. I think that, in his small mind, he believes that he is compromising by "letting" her keep her cats. So wrong.


Tutone: I agree with you on the cage thing, because even though he's now saying that it will only be during the day when they're not home to watch the cats, what happens while they (the humans) are sleeping? They can't watch the cats then, so they go back into the cage??

Wolflady: Thank you for your good wishes. The cage thing is strange, because I don't think it's a very big apartment (it's a Manahattan apartment), so where would they put the thing? I really don't think that Michael (the boyfriend) would be any happier having a cage in the middle of his apartment than he would having the cats.
The females get along fine. I think that they're from the same litter. I do also have to say that the cats are declawed, and I know that declawed cats do sometimes tend to have behavioral problems (it's no wonder!).
I also know what you're saying about the whole controlling/abusive situation. That worries me. Today it's the cats, tomorrow, something else...
Right now, I just want to help her find a solution, because I know she loves her cats and I don't want to see these precious babies in a bad situation.

Anti Pam: Yeah, I know firsthand about finding out that relationships aren't just about I love you. Like I said, he has a pet of his own, so he should be more understanding.

AmberLee: Yeah, unfortunately, the deed is done; the apartment has already been purchased, which is why I want to try and help her find a solution as quickly as possible because I am hoping that he will live with the cats for a while and end up actually liking (if not loving *fingers crossed*) them. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic? I'm sorry, but I'm so stressed out over this that it's driving me crazy.

I know that this post is just waaay to long, but I just want to thank you all for trying to help me out here.

My roommmate suggested that my friend try to explain to the boyfriend that, for the first few months, he leave his *precious* rugs rolled up and away in the closet. This because it takes cats a while to become accustomed to a new home and they may just pee in the wrong place until they adapt themselves to their new environment. They can decide what to do about the rugs once everyone has become accustomed to the new living arrangements.
My roommmate also said that this girl should just tell her boyfriend that she doesn't like his rugs and doesn't even want them in her house! Haha, that'll show him!!

Anyway, thank you everyone for the input and thanks for dealing with this long-winded post. I really do appreciate the help with this upsetting situation.

Love you all,
thelma