For the purposes of this Article:
"Animal control provider"
means the duly incorporated humane society or organization formed for the prevention of cruelty to animals which is contracted by the County to perform animal control services.
"At large"
means: (1) on the premises of a person other than an owner of the cat, without the consent of an occupant or owner of such premises, or (2) on a public street, on public or private school grounds, or in any other public place.
"Impounded cat"
means any cat released to or under the custody of or control of the Animal Control Provider.
"Microchip" or "microchip identification"
means a device that is implanted under the skin of an animal that contains contact information for the owner of that animal.
"Owner"
means any person owning, harboring, or keeping a cat; providing care or sustenance for a cat; or having custody of a cat. "Owner" does not include the Animal Quarantine Branch or Plant Quarantine Branch of the Department of Agriculture.
"Person"
includes corporations, estates, associations, partnerships and trusts, and one (1) or more individual human beings.
(Ord. No. 965, February 14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021; Ord. No. 1107, March 15, 2022)
It shall be unlawful for any person to be an owner of a cat over three (3) months of age unless the cat is microchipped. This Section shall not apply to cats brought into the county exclusively for the purpose of entering them in a cat show or cat exhibition and not allowed to be at large.
(Ord. No. 965, February 14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
(a) 
An owner shall have a microchip implanted in the owner's cat, and the owner shall register the microchip number and the owner's contact information with a microchip registration company.
(b) 
When the contact information of the owner of a cat changes, the owner shall provide the new contact information to the applicable microchip registration company no later than thirty (30) days after the change in contact information occurs.
(c) 
When the owner of a cat changes:
1. 
The former owner shall inform the new owner with which microchip registration company the cat's microchip is registered; and
2. 
The new owner shall provide the microchip registration company with the new owner's contact information no later than thirty (30) days after the change of ownership occurs.
(d) 
Every animal control contractor or nonprofit animal rescue organization shall implant a microchip in all stray cats in its custody that do not have a microchip.
(e) 
All animal control contractors or nonprofit animal rescue organizations shall activate the microchip registration company's found pet alerts to notify owners whose pets' microchips are registered with that company.
(f) 
Veterinary clinics, animal shelters, and other animal rescue organizations that scan found pets for microchips shall release only the chip identification number to the finder upon request.
(Ord. No. 965, February 14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
(a) 
Any person who takes into the person's possession any cat at large shall immediately notify the Animal Control Provider and shall release the cat to the Animal Control Provider upon request.
(b) 
In the case of any cat released to the Animal Control Provider that is microchipped, the Animal Control Provider shall make a reasonable attempt to notify the owner by telephone, and shall send written notice to the owner. The cat shall be held by the Animal Control Provider for not less than five (5) days, after which time the Animal Control Provider may return the cat to the person who released the cat to the Animal Control Provider, offer the cat for adoption, or euthanize the cat, if not sooner recovered by the owner. An owner wishing to recover the cat shall pay a daily impoundment fee of Twelve Dollars ($12.00) for each full day, or fraction thereof, that the cat is held by the Animal Control Provider.
(c) 
In the case of any cat released to the Animal Control Provider that is not microchipped, the Animal Control Provider shall hold the cat for not less than forty-eight (48) hours, after which time the Animal Control Provider may return the cat to the person who released the cat to the Animal Control Provider, offer the cat for adoption, or euthanize the cat, if not sooner recovered by a person claiming ownership. If a person claiming ownership seeks to recover the cat, the person shall pay a daily impoundment fee of Twelve Dollars ($12.00) for each full day, or fraction thereof, that the cat is held at the Animal Control Provider.
(d) 
Any impounded cat shall be spayed or neutered by the Animal Control Provider prior to its adoption unless a veterinarian certifies that the cat is too sick or injured to be spayed or neutered, or that it would otherwise be detrimental to the health of the cat.
(Ord. No. 965, February 14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021; Ord. No. 1107, March 15, 2022)
It is unlawful for a cat owner to allow a cat over the age of three (3) months to be at large unless the cat has been sterilized by a veterinarian.
(Ord. No. 965, February 14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
The Director of Finance shall authorize personnel of the Animal Control Provider to issue microchips and collect contact information from microchips. Microchips shall be issued upon payment of the microchip fee of Twenty Dollars ($20.00). All fees collected by personnel of the Animal Control Provider shall be deposited with the Director of Finance on a quarterly basis. The Director of Finance shall regulate all activities involved in such collections.
(Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
The Animal Control Provider shall not release an impounded cat to a person claiming ownership of the cat until the owner complies with the requirements of this Article. If an impounded cat, with or without a microchip, has not been sterilized, the person claiming ownership shall pay a redemption fee of Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00) for the first offense, Fifty Dollars ($50.00) for the second offense, and Seventy-Five Dollars ($75.00) for the third and any subsequent offenses. In lieu of paying the redemption fee, an owner may opt to have the cat sterilized by the Animal Control Provider prior to reclaiming the cat.
(Ord. No. 965, February 14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
An additional fee of not more than ten dollars ($10.00) will be assessed for each impounded cat without a microchip in accordance with Sec. 22-24.2 upon its redemption.
(Ord. No. 965, February 14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
It shall be unlawful for the owner of any cat, whether the cat is microchipped or not, to abandon the cat. For the purpose of this section, a cat shall be deemed abandoned if it is intentionally left on the property of someone other than the cat's owner without first obtaining written or oral consent by the property owner to do so.
(Ord. No. 1107, March 15, 2022)
Any person violating any section or provision of this Article shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) and not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00) for the first offense. For the second violation, the punishment shall be by a fine of not less than two hundred dollars ($200.00) and not to exceed three hundred dollars ($300.00). For all violations in excess of two (2), the punishment shall be a fine of not less than three hundred dollars ($300.00) and not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00).
(Ord. No. 1107, March 15, 2022)