LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Supervisors Impose Fees on Cat Owners

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to impose licensing fees on all cats in Los Angeles County’s unincorporated communities.

Cat owners will be required to pay a $5 fee to register spayed or neutered cats and $10 for other cats. The measure will also increase dog licensing fees from $10 to $12.

Officials at the county Department of Animal Care and Control expect the new fees to raise $200,000 each year. The board approved the ordinance 3 to 2, with Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Yvonne Brathwaite Burke casting the dissenting votes. Both argued the law was unenforceable because of cats’ independent and finicky nature.

Department Director Frank Andrews said the ordinance was intended to reduce the number of unclaimed cats in county shelters. He said that animal control officials will not act to stringently enforce the law. “We’re not going to be chasing cats down the street,” he said.