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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 6231
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 5818
Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
Introduced by:
(ENV)
AN ACT RESTRICTING THE EUTHANIZATION OF FERAL CATS AND
REQUIRING THE INVOLVEMENT OF FERAL CAT ORGANIZATIONS
FOR THE TRAPPING OF SUCH ANIMALS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 22-339d of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
(a) A municipality may adopt an ordinance requiring the registration, 3
within one year of the adoption of such ordinance, of keepers of feral 4
cats in residential or commercial areas. Such ordinance shall require that 5
any such keeper shall register with the animal control officer for such 6
municipality who shall provide information to the registrant regarding 7
the proper care and management of feral cats. For purposes of this 8
section, "feral cat" means a free-roaming domestic cat which is not 9
owned and "keeper" means any person or organization, harboring, 10
regularly feeding or having in his or its possession any feral cat. Refusal 11
to permit any animal control officer to impound a feral cat shall be 12
deemed evidence of keeping. Such ordinance shall require that such 13
keepers shall provide for the vaccination of such cats against rabies and 14
the sterilization of such cats. Such keeper shall be considered an eligible 15
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owner for purposes of the animal population control program 16
established under sections 22-380e to 22-380m, inclusive, provided such 17
cats are adopted from a municipal pound. 18
(b) A municipality may adopt an ordinance providing that no person 19
owning or keeping any cat shall permit such animal to (1) substantially 20
damage property other than the property of the owner or keeper, or (2) 21
cause an unsanitary [,] or dangerous [or unreasonably offensive] 22
condition. Violation of such provision shall be an infraction. 23
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, (1) each 24
animal control officer shall engage the assistance of an animal rescue or 25
feral cat organization when undertaking efforts to control the feral cat 26
population in any such municipality, and (2) no municipality, animal 27
control officer or regional animal control officer shall euthanize a feral 28
cat for any purpose other than such animal presenting a public health 29
danger, such as a communicable disease, including, but not limited to 30
rabies, or if such cat is injured to an extent that euthanasia is determined 31
to be the only humane course of action by a veterinarian licensed in this 32
state. 33
Sec. 2. Section 22-332d of the general statutes is repealed. (Effective 34
from passage) 35
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 22-339d
Sec. 2 from passage Repealer section
Statement of Purpose:
To restrict the use of euthanasia on feral cat populations and require the
involvement of feral cat organizations in the trapping of feral cats by
animal control officers.
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[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. LINEHAN, 103rd Dist.
H.B. 6231