Howard County, IN Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Chapter 90 does not run a separate cat licensing scheme; instead Section 90.05 folds cats into the same apprehension authority used for dogs. Division (A) authorizes impoundment of any dog or cat at large or deemed a public nuisance, division (B) covers dogs without a proper registration tag, and division (C) reaches any dog or cat not wearing a proper rabies vaccination tag, as well as any animal that has bitten or is suspected of having bitten a person or that appears to have rabies.

Because the AT LARGE and PUBLIC NUISANCE definitions in Section 90.01 apply to 'animal' generally, a free-roaming cat away from the owner's premises and not under immediate control meets the at-large definition just as a dog would, and a cat that is not confined while in heat, lacks permanent identification, or is one of more than four cats kept without a kennel classification can also be a public nuisance under Section 90.01. Once impounded, Section 90.06 requires the county to notify an owner within three days if the cat wore identification when picked up, and Section 90.07 gives the owner five days to redeem the cat by showing current registration and rabies tags and paying the impoundment and boarding fees the Department of Animal Services sets, after which the cat may be destroyed or transferred to the Department. A cat impounded for biting or suspected rabies is instead held under observation for a minimum of ten days under Section 90.07(D).