Although many pet cats like to freely roam outdoors–and many owners allow them to do that–letting kitty roam around the borough of Hellertown might not be a good idea.
That’s because in 2014 the borough updated Chapter 112 of its Code–which covers Animals–to include a prohibition on free-roaming behavior by pet cats.
Specifically, Article IV states that “it shall be unlawful for any owner of any cat to permit such cat to run free outside the residence of its owner or keeper.”
So, if Felix wants to go foraging for catnip down the street, his owner could be in trouble unless he’s wearing a harness attached to a leash or is docile enough to be held without running away.
“Any person failing to comply with any of the provisions of this article shall, upon summary conviction before a District Justice, be subject to a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $500 and to imprisonment of not more than 30 days for each offense, together with the costs of prosecution,” the Code states.
Article IV also includes information about feral cats, and differentiates between “feral” and “stray” cats.
A feral cat is defined as a “homeless, wild or untamed cat” while a stray cat is defined as “any cat whose owner or keeper from time to time allows the cat to run free off of the property of the owner or keeper.”
Feeding stray or feral cats is prohibited except in cases where the feeder is participating in a “humane program sponsored by the borough or operating under the borough’s auspices,” and in those cases the feeding cannot be on public property.
Questions about free-roaming cats arose after the Lower Saucon Township Police Department reported Thursday that it is investigating the mysterious death of as many as 13 cats in Steel City.
Police said it is suspected that the cats–some of whom were pets–may have been poisoned, which is against the law.
A cat wearing a harness and being walked on a leash.
