Chapter 2 · Animal Control and Regulation

Article 2. Cats

Sections 2-201 to 2-209 · 9 sections

2-201 Definitions.

(a)Abandoned Cat — a cat that has been lost or abandoned which does not have a collar or has returned to the feral state

(b)Feral Cat — a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild, has never been socialized, or is the descendant of an abandoned cat

(c)Keeping and Harboring — any person who shall allow an abandoned or feral cat to be fed within its home, store, yard, enclosure, or place shall be deemed and considered as keeping and harboring such cat within the meeting of this article.

(Ord. 2324)

2-202 Rabies vaccination.

Every person owning, keeping, or harboring any cat in the city over four months hold shall be required to have the cat inoculated for rabies.

(Ord. 2324)

2-203 Maximum number.

It shall be unlawful for any person in the city to have in possession or under control more than three cats over the age of four months.

(Ord. 2324)

2-204 Running at large.

No person shall permit his or her cat to run at large within the city limits at any time. A cat shall be deemed running at large when off the premises of its owner or keeper without being under control of its owner or keeper.

(Ord. 2324)

2-205 Feeding of feral or abandoned cats.

It shall be unlawful for any person within the city limits to intentionally provide food, water, or other forms of sustenance to an abandoned or feral cat.

(Ord. 2324)

2-206 Cats creating nuisance.

It shall be unlawful for anyone who owns, keeps, or harbors a cat to fail to prevent such cat from becoming a nuisance. A cat shall be considered a nuisance if it:

(a)Damages, soils, defiles or defecates on private property other than its owner’s, keeper’s, or harborer’s, or on public right-of-way or recreation areas, unless such waste is immediately removed and properly disposed of by its owners, keeper, or harborer;

(b)Causes unsanitary, dangerous or offensive conditions;

(c)Attacks or interferes with persons or domestic animals on property other than the property of the owner, keeper, or harborer; and/or

(d)Makes loud, frequent, persistent audible noise, including, but not limited to, howling, yowling, screaming, growling, hissing, calling, if such audible noise annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of ordinary sensitiveness.

(Ord. 2324)

2-207 Disposition of feral or vicious cats.

Any feral or vicious cat found running at large, because of its disposition or diseased condition may be too hazardous to apprehend, may be destroyed when so ordered by the Animal Control Officer.

(Ord. 2324)

2-208 Trapping of abandoned or feral cats.

An abandoned or feral cat may be confined by a person on whose property such cat strays for pickup or trapping by the Animal Control Officer.

The Animal Control Officer may utilize humane-type cage traps to apprehend any feral or abandoned cat on public property or private property with consent of the owner.

The Animal Control Officer shall transport cats that have been trapped, picked up, confined or relinquished to the animal shelter with such cat being impounded as provided by K.S.A. 47-1701 et seq., as amended, unless sooner redeemed by an owner upon payment of a service charge and boarding fee. Identification information, if available on a trapped cat, shall be utilized by the Animal Control Officer to inform such owner that his/her cat has been impounded.

(Ord. 2324)

2-209 Penalties.

Any person found guilty of a violation of one of the sections in this article shall be punished by a fine not less than $50.00 for a First Offense, $100.00 for a Second Offense, and $175.00 for a Third or Subsequent Offense, up to a maximum of $500.00.

(Ord. 2324)