National City, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

The cat-specific rules are in National City Municipal Code § 8.32.020, Conditions of keeping or maintaining permitted animals, birds and reptiles, in Chapter 8.32 of Title 8.

At large: subsection J opens with "Except for cats, no animals shall be allowed to run at large," so a cat does not trigger the leash and containment rules that apply to dogs. The trade-off is a duty of control. A cat owner must control his or her cat or cats so as to avoid the creation of a public nuisance. A cat at large can be trapped with a nonlethal, humane trap and must be turned over to an animal shelter or an animal control officer within twenty-four hours. The city does not take responsibility for trapping or transportation, so a neighbor who traps a cat carries that job.

Feeding: subsection K says cats can only be fed within a residence or an enclosure on the property of the owner. The stated purpose is to prevent attracting wild animals and birds. Feeding cats on a porch, in a yard without an enclosure or in an alley is outside the rule.

Definition: § 8.04.015 defines a cat as only a domesticated feline (felis domesticus) of either sex. It specifically excludes any feral cat, wildcat, leopard, puma, ocelot, lion, tiger, jaguar or other feline considered ferae naturae, and § 8.32.010 prohibits keeping any wild member of the feline family other than a cat.

Numbers: § 8.32.015 caps any parcel at three cats over four months of age, and a single unit in a mobile home park, multifamily building or condominium at two dogs or cats combined.

Related rules: § 8.32.020(N) treats animal noise across a property line between ten p.m. and seven a.m. for more than three minutes as a disturbance, § 8.32.050 bans selling puppies or kittens in front of stores, parking lots, swap meets and auctions, and § 8.36.020 presumes an interior vehicle temperature above one hundred degrees Fahrenheit is extreme for an animal left inside.