Millcreek, PA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Chapter 8, Article I of the Millcreek Township Code (Animal Control, adopted 8-8-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-15) is the only part of the Code that speaks to cats by name. Section 8-1 defines ANIMAL as "A dog, cat, or any other species, domesticated or nondomesticated, including pets and wildlife," a definition the Board of Supervisors added on 5-10-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-5. It defines OWNER to include the registered owner, the person responsible as keeper, and the custodian charged with oversight, so a household member who keeps a cat carries the same duty as the named owner. RUN AT LARGE covers any animal on a public highway, street, alley, park or other public place, or on another person's property, that is not under physical control or confined.

The operative duty sits in § 8-2A: the owner shall keep the animal under restraint at all times and shall not permit it to run at large in the Township. The Animal Resource-Code Enforcement Officer, a position inside the Code Enforcement Department, can seize any animal found at large. The owner, if known, gets notice of the seizure and can redeem the animal by paying all costs and penalties. If the owner is unknown or the animal goes unclaimed, it is released to an approved shelter. Section 8-2B adds that on the owner's own property the animal must be controlled so it cannot attack or threaten anyone legitimately coming onto the property or using the adjacent sidewalk, street or lot.

Two companion sections reach cats as well. Section 8-4B requires an owner to immediately remove feces the animal leaves on any public or private property other than the owner's. Section 8-5 requires owners to comply with Pennsylvania rabies inoculation law and to show the certification on request. The licensing requirement in § 8-6A names dogs only; Chapter 8 prints no township cat license and no separate rules for feral colonies.