cats in apartment

Question
I am a landlord of a 4-plex that has never had pets.  I am considering taking a de-clawed house cat. I had a cat 15 years ago and had occasional but longlasting problems with spraying and odor.  How often are cats a problem in apartments?  How about allergies for future tenants?

Answer
Oh man, a matter of life or god only knows what for a cat, this is a really hard question because in every paper ad no one wants a cat in there apartment buildings.  In my opinion I think you should take the cat because it is de-clawed and cannot tear up the walls, also spayed or nuetered cats don't spray furniture and what not because they have no reason to,  allowing nuetered cats would not be a bad idea since they cannot spray, most cats don't stink except maybe the litter box but frequent cleanings keeps the smell to a minimum.  The allergy thing I can't defend that because its hard to defend.  But maybe even charging a pet fee would be considered good enough, because many cats and dogs are taken to the pound and put to sleep because the landlord doesn't allows pets, and its really sad.  Not to mention allowing pets could make you more money, even only allowing spayed or nuetered pets.  I've never heard any problems with cats in apartment buildings as long as there kept to a minimum by only allowing nuetered and spayed cats, you could even check there vet bills or something, examine the pet if you want.