Bristol, PA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Part 6 of Chapter 2 defines running at large for cats the same way the code does for dogs: being on any public highway, street, alley, park or other public land, or on the property of someone other than the owner, without being accompanied by or under the control of the owner or another person who has custody of the cat. An owner is any person with a right of property in a cat, or custody of it, or who harbors or permits a cat to remain on or around his or her property. Feeding a stray can therefore make a resident an owner under the code's wording.

Section 2-602 makes it unlawful for the owner of any cat to allow it to run at large in the Borough. Ordinance 1348, adopted September 13, 2021, added a second sentence: it is unlawful for anyone to feed unmanaged or unkempt colonies of cats anywhere in the Borough. That sentence applies to every person, not only to owners, so feeding a feral colony is itself a violation.

Under § 2-604 the Animal Control Officer can seize any cat found at large, and the cat is impounded in a facility provided by the Borough. Section 2-605 covers cats wearing an identification tag with the owner's name and address: the owner is notified by registered or certified mail with return receipt, and the cat can be destroyed in a humane fashion by the Borough if unclaimed three days after delivery or notification. Under § 2-606, a cat with no identification tag, or one that in the opinion of any police officer constitutes a threat to public health and welfare, can be destroyed humanely by the Borough 72 hours after being seized by the Animal Control Officer.

Section 2-603 separately limits how many cats a person can keep. That limit is covered on the Bristol Borough pet-limits page.