Carmel City Code § 6-101 addresses Feral Cats directly. For owned cats, the Hamilton County ordinance applies inside the city: cats over six months must be spayed/neutered unless a free breeder's permit is obtained (Sec. 15-2.1-1-23), must carry permanent ID (Sec. 15-2.1-1-26), and feeding free-roaming colonies is unlawful unless the colony is a registered, managed Trap-Neuter-Return colony (Sec. 15-2.1-1-9).
Cats are regulated at two levels. Carmel's own City Code includes § 6-101 (Feral Cats) in its Division III animal regulations, signaling the City addresses community/feral cats locally. The Hamilton County ordinance, which applies inside Carmel, supplies the operative detail. Mandatory sterilization under Sec. 15-2.1-1-23 covers cats: each cat over six months must be sterilized unless a free breeder's permit or a medical/Approved-Breeder exception applies. Permanent identification under Sec. 15-2.1-1-26 requires every owned cat to bear a microchip or a durable collar tag with the owner's name and phone number. Feral-cat management is governed by Sec. 15-2.1-1-9: it is unlawful to provide food, water or shelter to a colony of feral cats unless the colony is an approved managed colony registered with the designated low-cost spay/neuter clinic, the support is part of a Trap-Neuter-Return program, and caretakers use ear-tipping to mark sterilized, vaccinated cats. Caretakers must sterilize, vaccinate (rabies, preferably a three-year vaccine) and health-check trapped cats, remove kittens by about eight weeks for placement, and keep records. The county code defines a 'Feral Cat' as one with no apparent owner that is wild, untamed and unable to be handled. Female cats in heat must be confined to prevent nuisance and unplanned breeding (Sec. 15-2.1-1-16). Cats are not exempt from the at-large and waste rules.
Failing to sterilize a cat over six months without a permit, or keeping a cat without permanent ID, is each fined up to $500 per occurrence (Sec. 15-2.1-1-23, 15-2.1-1-26). Feeding or sheltering an unregistered feral-cat colony violates Sec. 15-2.1-1-9; offenders first receive a written warning and time to comply, with continued non-compliance fined up to $500 per occurrence and loss of caretaker privileges. Failing to confine a female cat in heat is fined up to $500 (Sec. 15-2.1-1-16). Cruelty or neglect of cats can be prosecuted under Indiana's criminal statute IC 35-46-3.
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