Oxnard, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

" The rule is tied to outdoor access rather than ownership status generally, so a cat that stays strictly indoors is not covered, but the moment an owner lets an intact cat outside, whether into a yard, on a leash, or free-roaming, the owner is out of compliance. Subsection (B) makes any violation of the sterilization requirement an infraction on its own terms, rather than deferring to the general Chapter 5 penalty provisions used elsewhere in the animal code. This sits within Division 2 (Licensing) of Article II (Dogs and Cats), grouped with other cat-specific rules like Section 5-52's cat license-tag exemption for microchipped cats and Section 5-55's licensing requirement for cats over four months old, showing the city treats outdoor cat sterilization as part of its broader population-control and licensing scheme rather than a nuisance or health-code matter.

Unlike the residential ownership cap in Section 5-33, which limits how many cats a household may keep, Section 5-64 applies regardless of how many cats a household has: even a single outdoor cat triggers the sterilization mandate. The section does not carve out an exception for breeding cats, service cats, or any other category; the surgical-sterilization requirement is absolute once outdoor access is granted.