Any person who shall allow any cat to habitually remain or to lodge or to be fed within his/her residence, business, or the yard or enclosure surrounding such residence or business, shall be deemed and considered as “keeping and harboring” said cat within the meaning of this Article.

(Prior Code 2016 §200.230; Ord. 2327; Code 2021)

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to keep or harbor within the corporate limits of the City of Paola, Kansas, any cat without causing such cat or cats to be licensed and paying the license taxes hereinafter provided.

(Prior Code 2016 §200.240; Ord. 2327; Code 2021)

There is hereby levied an annual tax of ten dollars ($10.00) for any unneutered cat, male or female, and five dollars ($5.00) for any neutered cat, male or female, for each cat payable on or before January first (1st), of each year, upon the owner or harborer of any cat within the corporate limits of the City of Paola, Kansas. The full amount of the license tax shall be required regardless of the time of year application is made.

If an unregistered cat is picked up by Animal Control, the annual tax becomes thirty dollars ($30.00) for any unneutered cat, male or female, and fifteen dollars ($15.00) for any neutered cat, male or female.

The annual tax shall be due and payable on January second (2nd) of each year. All licenses shall expire on December thirty-first (31st) of the year issued. No temporary or partial year license shall be issued.

(Prior Code 2016 §200.250; Ord. 2327; Ord. 3168; Code 2021)

Before the City Clerk shall register and issue a metal tag for any cat, the owner, keeper, or harborer registering such cat and paying the annual tax required by this Article, shall furnish to the City Clerk a certificate from a licensed veterinarian showing that said cat has been immunized against rabies and distemper and that said immunization will be effective for the year which the cat is licensed and taxed. Whenever any cat is registered the City Clerk shall give to the owner or person registering the same, a tag stamped “Paola”, giving the year in which the registry is made. Said cats must wear such tag at all times along with a rabies shot tag which will be given by the veterinarian at the time of the rabies shot.

(Prior Code 2016 §200.260; Ord. 2327; Code 2021)

(a)   Definitions. For the purpose of this Section, certain terms and words are hereby defined:

HARBORER — Any person who shall allow any cat to habitually remain or lodge or be fed within his or her home, store, yard, enclosure or place of business or any other premises in which he or she resides or controls.

RUNNING AT LARGE — The trespassing of a cat upon the private ground of any person except the owner or harborer of such cat.

(b)   Running At Large Of Cats Prohibited. It shall be unlawful for the owner, harborer, or any person having the care, custody or control of any cat to permit such cat to run at large within the City.

(c)   Penalties. Any person convicted of violating any provision of this Section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and punished by a fine of not less than twenty dollars ($20.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00).

(d)   Impounding Cats And Redemption Thereof.

Any cat found running at large within the City contrary to the provisions of this Section or any cat upon which the tax provided in Section 2-303 has not been paid, shall be taken up by any policeman of the City or by any other person duly appointed and employed for that purpose by the City Manager of the City of Paola, Kansas, and shall be impounded in a place provided for that purpose by the City, and the Police Department shall make a record or require the officer or appointed person to make a record of all cats so impounded with their description and date of impounding. If within one hundred twenty (120) hours from the date any such cat is impounded the owner of such cat shall appear and claim his/her cat and shall pay to the Police Department the sum of fifteen dollars ($15.00) to pay the cost of impounding and the additional sum of ten dollars ($10.00) for each day such cat is impounded, then such cat shall be returned to such owner, provided however, that the claiming of any such cat shall be prima facie evidence of the violation by such owner thereof within one hundred twenty (120) hours of the date of such impounding, such cat shall be disposed of, provided further, that payment of a license as required by said Code of the City of Paola, upon any cat shall not prevent the impounding and destruction of any cat under the provisions of this Section, but if any so taken up shall have a license tag for the current year, the owner of such as shown by the records of the City Clerk shall be notified by the Police Department twenty-four (24) hours before such cat is destroyed.

(Prior Code 2016 §200.270; Ord. 2665; Ord. 3168; Code 2021)