Columbia, SC Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 4-74(a) permits feral or free-roaming cats in the city 'as long as' four conditions are met: a veterinarian must assess and clear the cat as healthy, the cat must be spayed or neutered, it must be vaccinated for rabies, feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia, and it must be ear-tipped so it's visibly identifiable as part of the program. Section 4-74(b) sets the shelter timeline: a trapped feral or free-roaming cat is scheduled for spay or neuter the day after it enters the shelter, or as soon as practicable, and returned to the location where it was trapped on the third day, or as soon as practicable thereafter; a cat that already meets all four conditions can be returned immediately without waiting.

Section 4-74(c) disclaims the city's liability for anything that happens to a program cat once it's returned and states that no person acquires any ownership interest or property right in a community cat, so a resident who feeds or fosters colony cats gains no legal claim to them. Section 4-74(d) lets the city suspend or end the program entirely at its own discretion, and Section 4-74(e) is the payoff for compliance: cats that meet the program's four requirements are exempt from the ordinary dog-and-cat licensing rule in Section 4-62, which otherwise requires a current city license tag and proof of rabies vaccination for every cat over four months old.