Laredo, TX Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Sec. 6-48 registers Laredo's community cat program. Every cat colony must be registered by its caregiver with the animal care services department, which acts as a clearinghouse for caregiver information, education for new caregivers, and help for anyone found in violation of the section; colonies with six or fewer cats are exempt from registration. Registered caregivers must obtain a cat colony permit, valid for one year, and follow the proper management and sterilization practices the department requires, at the caregiver's own expense for any trap-neuter-return work they choose to have performed.

If animal control picks up a community cat that already carries an appropriate ear tip, Sec. 6-48(b) requires the department to return it to its colony unless it needs veterinary care or one of two seizure grounds applies: a public health or safety concern such as rabies or another zoonotic disease, or the colony creating a nuisance as Chapter 6 defines that term. A caregiver found out of compliance with the department's management or sterilization standards gets a written warning first, with up to 90 days from that notice to come into compliance or show they are working toward it; failing to comply after the 90 days is itself a Chapter 6 violation that can draw a citation.

Outside the colony program, ordinary cats fall under the same rabies vaccination, registration, and intact/spayed registration rules in Sec. 6-21 and Sec. 6-116 that apply to dogs, and an owner who lets a cat become a nuisance or public health threat by feeding wild or feral animals in a residential area faces liability under Sec. 6-41.