I had my cat declawed because I was very allergic to the stuff in her claws so it was a choice of getting rid of her or getting her declawed and I got her declawed. If a cat is an INSIDE cat (which they should all be) there is no reason to not declaw. My cat lived a very healthy 13-14 yrs after she was declawed and if I ever had another cat they would be declawed as well. Also as an owner of some rental property I think you are very lucky they are letting you keep 1 cat, animals can do a pretty good job of making a home unlivable for the next tennant.