Unfortunately some landlords/property managers have made declawing mandatory in their lease agreements, and many cat owners may be unaware of what the procedure actually entails.
In fact, the property management group that handled placing us in our home had mandatory declawing in their standard lease agreement. This was a no-go for us, and we quickly contacted the property owner (who is super awesome, and we lease from her directly so doubly so) and had it taken out. Our landlady didn’t fuss about it, but I highly encourage renters stand up against clauses like this and bring facts against misconceptions against “declawing”.
Maybe a cat is not the right animal for you...