It’s not great, but what makes it that much worse is the hunt for the next apartment that one needs to start a good deal before lease renewal just in case. Just having a single small cat cuts your options in half, and then of course price and whatever other quality of life things you might be looking for (e.g. adequate windows/natural light/building facing) cut that down further. Apartment hunting is anxiety-stoking.

Let's not go too far either. IF that happens, you can live in a too expensive, or not optimal location, or otherwise imperfect place for a few months or one year while you hunt for better.

For me that scenario is all the more stressful since that means there’s going to be at least two moves upcoming instead of just a potential single move.

It's a "might have to" - not very likely - in exchange for going house hunting every year just before lease renewal. That's a lot of work every year. But sure, it's a choice.