Gulfport, MS Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 7-96 makes it unlawful for cats to run at large in the city, defining running at large as being off the premises, including yard and appurtenances, owned or controlled by the cat's owner. Section 7-99 requires every cat three months of age or older to be vaccinated against rabies, with proof consisting of a metal tag worn by the cat plus a certificate from the administering veterinarian, and failure to vaccinate is itself a violation. Section 7-100 addresses feral cats specifically: any cat that has escaped captivity and is no longer domesticated may be destroyed by any means necessary to prevent it becoming a public threat and to control disease and overpopulation.

Where the animal officer determines a cat is vicious, diseased, or feral and beyond domestication, destruction requires four conditions to all be met, running at large, no visible rabies tag, unsuccessful chemical capture, and unsuccessful attempts at peaceful capture, plus supervisory approval before the cat is destroyed. Section 7-98 separately bars letting the area where cats are kept become a nuisance through noise, odor, filth or breeding of pests, and Section 7-97 bars keeping cats for breeding purposes except as allowed elsewhere in the chapter. These sections trace to the 1963 Code and were updated by Ordinance No. 2185 in 1999.