(a) Definitions.
(1) “Cat” means and includes all members of the feline family, of either sex, unless otherwise specified hereinafter.
(2) “Community cat” means a cat that is abandoned, stray, lost, or feral.
(3) “Community cat caregiver” means a person who, in accordance with Trap- Neuter-Return, provides care, including, food, shelter or medical care to a community cat. A community cat caregiver shall not be considered the owner, harborer, or keeper of a community cat.
(4) “Eartipping” means the removal of the 1/4 inch tip of a community cat’s left ear, performed while the cat is under anesthesia, to identify the community cat as being sterilized and lawfully vaccinated for rabies.
(5) “Trap-Neuter-Return” means the process of humanely trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating for rabies, eartipping, and returning community cats to their original location. Participants in Trap-Neuter-Return shall not constitute abandonment.
(b) Noisy Cats. No person shall own or keep within the City any cat which shall, by squalling, crying or in any other manner whatsoever, disturb the peace and quiet of any neighborhood.
(c) Roaming at Large. No owner or keeper of any cat shall permit it to roam at large within the City at any time, except on the property owned or occupied by the owner of such cat. Any cat found roaming at large in violation of this section shall be seized by the Human Officer and forthwith impounded at Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association.
(1) If the cat found roaming at large is wearing a registration tag or other identification, or if the owner is known, the Humane Officer shall make a reasonable effort to return such cat to the owner. Upon returning the cat aforesaid, the Humane Office shall serve upon the owner a citation to appear before the Municipal Judge at the next scheduled court date; prior to the time fixed for appearance, the Humane Officer shall deliver to the Municipal Judge a copy of the citation and shall sign a complaint setting forth the violation.
(2) If the cat is not returned to the owner pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the Humane Officer shall impound the cat at Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association as described in paragraph one.
(d) The Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association will be responsible for payment of all costs associated with any sterilization in the trap-neuter-return provision of this article.
(e) Any person found guilty of any of the provisions of this article shall be subject to a fine of $25.00 for the first offense, $50.00 for the second offense and $100.00 for each offense thereafter.
This section shall not apply to community cats. (Ord. 722. Passed 12-15-14.)