Los Banos, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

4007(a) of the Los Banos Municipal Code declares it unlawful for anyone in the City to intentionally provide food, water, or other sustenance to a feral cat except under five listed conditions. First, the feeder must register with the City as a caretaker of feral cats. Second, feeding must happen daily and in a manner that does not leave excess food sitting out, limiting the attractant effect on other wildlife and strays. Third, the caretaker must regularly trap and spay or neuter cats over eight weeks of age, the same age floor the code uses elsewhere for adoption eligibility.

Fourth, all altered cats must be identified by ear-tipping, the marker that lets Animal Control and future trappers recognize a cat has already been fixed. Fifth, the caretaker must arrange rabies vaccination for all trapped cats, on top of any other vaccination or immunization the State requires. This is effectively a trap-neuter-return registration scheme: the City tolerates outdoor feral colonies only where a registered caretaker is managing sterilization and health, and treats unmanaged feeding as contributing to an unlawful colony. 4012 if it causes unsanitary conditions or odor complaints from neighbors.