Chapter 6.33 — COMMUNITY CAT ORDINANCE

The feeding of feral/community cats is prohibited in the City of Anderson unless otherwise permitted pursuant to this article and conducted in accordance with the cat trap-neuter-return (TNR) program regulations and guidelines.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

A program is hereby adopted by the City of Anderson to control feral/community cat populations in certain areas within the City of Anderson ("city"), and to address associated health and safety hazards, and other impacts in the city. The program was developed in a collaborative effort with community residents and feral/community TNR program partners and professionals. The program shall be known as the City of Anderson feral/community cat TNR program.

A.

Permits may be issued under this article only for TNR activities and/or certified feeding activities in the areas of the city as depicted in the city's zoning map. Anderson River Park will be the primary focus of TNR activities.

B.

No feeding activity shall be permitted within one thousand five hundred feet of the perimeter of the Splash Pad in Anderson River Park unless approved by the TNR partner or the City of Anderson.

C.

No feeding activity shall be permitted within one thousand feet of a school unless approved by the TNR partner or the City of Anderson.

D.

No feeding or trapping activity shall be permitted on private property without the written consent of the property owner or agent of the property owner, or as otherwise permitted by law.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

For the purposes of this article, the words and phrases set forth in this section shall be construed as defined herein. To the extent any of the definitions included in this chapter conflict with Chapter 6.04 or other sections of this code, the definitions below will govern this chapter.

"Cat" means a member of the species Felis catus.

"Feral/community cat" means a cat not owned and cared for as a typical companion animal or pet, as a result of having been born feral, abandoned by an owner, or rendered homeless, wild or stray by any other

means.

"Feral/community cat caregiver" means any person who:

A.

Feeds feral/community cats, humanely traps feral/community cats, provides care, including shelter or medical care, to the feral/community cats, or any combination of the foregoing activities, and works in cooperation with a TNR partner permitted by the city; and

B.

Is registered with a permitted TNR partner and has readily available proof of such registration.

"Feral/community cat colony" or "colony" means a group of cats and the geographic location where that group typically live or where they forage or hunt for food or are fed and generally cared for by a TNR partner by associated feral/community cat caregivers or by TNR individuals.

"Food" as well as "feeding" includes water, dried food, canned food, treats and any other item a cat may consume.

"TNR individual" means person who is permitted by the city to engage in implementing the TNR program regulations and guidelines on public property.

"TNR partner" means an organization authorized by the city to engage in implementing TNR and certified feeding services via education, training, funding spay-neuter services, providing traps, providing spay- neuter services, providing long term colony care through volunteers or otherwise implementing TNR. The TNR partner for the City of Anderson is Haven Humane Society.

"Trap-neuter-return" (also referred to as "TNR") means the practice whereby feral/community cats are humanely trapped by the TNR partner, feral/community cat caregivers or TNR individuals, taken to a veterinary hospital or spay-neuter facility where they are sterilized and rabies vaccinated, ear tipped, and adopted or returned to their colony to be cared for until the end of their natural life.

"Trap-neuter-return or TNR program regulations and guidelines" means the rules adopted by the city council allowing authorized organizations or permitted individuals to undertake TNR activities, which rules include standards of care and guidelines for implementation activities.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

A.

A permit shall be required for any individual that wishes to operate as a TNR individual in the city.

B.

A TNR individual must list all cat colonies to be fed prior to the issuance of a permit.

C.

A permit application shall be submitted in the form and with the information required by the city, including the following:

TNR individual permit requirements: A completed TNR individual permit application form shall be submitted to the TNR partner, and accompanied with the following supplemental information:

a.

Applicant contact and address information.

b.

A map of the colony location and colony details to the extent known, including, but not limited to, an approximate number of:

(1)

Cats in the colony;

(2)

A map showing the location of each feeder and trapping location.

c.

An affidavit form releasing any liability to the City of Anderson and TNR partner.

d.

Feral/community cat caregiver affidavit forms signed by each affiliated feral/community cat caregiver/individual confirming their receipt of a copy of the City of Anderson feral/community cat TNR program regulations and guidelines and stating that they have read, understand, and will comply with those regulations and guidelines.

e.

A list of all feral/community cat caregivers providing TNR support for the colony and contact information for each caregiver will be kept by the TNR partner.

f.

A statement accepting and agreeing to abide by all of the standard conditions of approval set forth in the TNR program regulations and guidelines signed by the TNR individual, a duly authorized representative of the TNR partner, with final approval by the City of Anderson.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

A.

The determination of whether to issue a permit is ministerial action. The TNR partner may approve the application and forward the application to the City of Anderson for final approval, unless:

The permit application does not comply with the TNR program and guidelines requirements;

The permit application does not include all the required information as set forth in this article;

The applicant has been previously issued a permit pursuant to this article and has violated the requirements of this article or the TNR program requirements and guidelines; or

The city manager or his designee has reported that the proposed location of a feeder or trap will interfere with public works activities.

Upon approval of a permit application, the TNR partner may issue permit to the TNR individuals and/or certified feeders as applicable. The permit shall be worn by the permittee and any person conducting TNR/certified feeding activity so that it is clearly visible to another person at all times while conducting TNR/certified feeding activity. Residents and/or property owners personally conducting TNR activity on their own property are not required to wear the permit card.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

A.

As a prerequisite to receiving approval of a permit for a TNR individual, the TNR partner or individual shall agree to comply with the standard conditions of approval set forth in the adopted TNR program requirements and guidelines.

B.

Standards of care: The city may enforce the standards of care applicable to TNR partners, feral/community cat caregivers and TNR individuals in accordance with the city's administrative penalty process or may refer violations of the standards of care to the appropriate TNR partner or TNR individual for assistance in correcting the violations. Nothing in this subsection is intended to restrict the remedies available to the city for a violation of the requirements of this article or the TNR programs regulations and guidelines.

C.

Revocation of permit: In addition to any other remedy available to the city, the city or the TNR partner may revoke the permit of a TNR individual if the city or TNR partner determines that the TNR individual or a feral/community cat caregiver have violated the provisions of this article or the TNR program regulations and guidelines.

D.

TNR individuals shall comply with and fulfill the responsibilities and minimum standards of care as set forth in the TNR program regulations and guidelines.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

The return of feral/community cats as part of a TNR program is exempt from any abandonment laws because the feral/community cat is trapped solely for the purpose of neutering, spaying, or adopting.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

A.

Food may be placed in authorized feeding stations during the hours set forth in the TNR program regulations and guidelines. Feeding times shall be from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

B.

Feeding locations shall be clean and maintained in accordance with the adopted TNR program regulations and guidelines.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

A.

A property owner or resident may submit a request to the TNR partner for removal of a feeder or trap that is located adjacent to their property or on their private property.

B.

Upon receipt of the request, the TNR partner will notify the permittee and investigate the validity of the complaint. The permittee shall remove the feeder and/or trap as soon as practical if the complaint is sustained. If the feeder and/or trap is not removed, the TNR partner or city shall cause the feeder and/or trap to be removed without any further notice to the permittee in a reasonable amount of time.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

Permits for TNR individuals shall be renewed bi-annually, and requests for renewal should be submitted at least thirty days prior to expiration of the existing permit on forms approved by the TNR partner. The permittee shall have no property interest in the renewal and the permit shall not be renewed if the TNR partner makes any of the determinations set forth in Section 6.33.050.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

A.

A permittee may request modifications to an existing permit to add or otherwise change the approved locations for feeding, trapping or combination thereof. Modification applications shall be submitted on a form approved by the TNR partner who will then submit the form to the City of Anderson.

B.

Removal of feeding or trapping locations shall not require permit modification but the permittee shall inform the TNR partner of the removal of the location.

C.

Permit modifications shall be accompanied by the same documentation required for an initial permit application.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)

This chapter will be enforced as follows:

A.

It is a violation of this chapter to willfully abandon any animal.

B.

It is a violation of this chapter to feed feral/community cats on public property without a TNR individual permit.

C.

It is a violation of this chapter to trap feral/community cats on public property without a TNR individual permit.

D.

Administrative fines and penalties for feeding feral/community cats without a permit and illegal dumping of cats on public property as established in this chapter are subject to fines described in Section 1.22.030(d)

of this code. The fourth such offense shall result as a misdemeanor crime.

E.

Once the time for requesting an administrative hearing has passed, all fines paid to the City of Anderson will be transferred from the City of Anderson to the TNR partner to assist with funding their TNR program.

F.

Pursuant to Section 1.22.020 of this code, a notice describing the charge and the penalty for a violation of this section may be issued by any peace officer, animal control officer, as defined in Penal Code § 830.9, or humane officer qualified pursuant to Section 14502 or Section 14503 of the Corporations Code, or any enforcement officer as defined in Section 1.04.010.

G.

Complaints. Any person may file a written complaint with the City of Anderson or the TNR partner regarding any permit issued under this chapter. Upon receipt of such a complaint, an investigation will be initiated regarding the allegations in the complaint.

(Ord. No. 872, § 1, 9-16-2025)