Shreveport, LA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 14-10
- Preferred method
- Trap-neuter-return (TNR)
- Marking required
- Ear-tip, sterilization, rabies vaccine
- Exempt from
- Licensing, stray and at-large rules
- Not exempt from
- Nuisance provisions (§ 14-17)
Summary
Shreveport Code § 14-10 makes trap-neuter-return the city's preferred way to manage free-roaming cats. Once a community cat is sterilized, ear-tipped and vaccinated, a registered caregiver may feed and shelter it, and the cat is exempt from licensing, at-large and stray rules, though nuisance rules still apply.
(1)Trap-neuter-return is the preferred method for controlling the community cat population through the community cat diversion program. The animal control center and any contracted shelter organizations shall prioritize the trap-neuter-return method as the preferred outcome for community cats by directing any impounded, non ear tipped, free-roaming cats to the trap-neuter-return process.(2)All community cats shall be sterilized, ear tipped and vaccinated in accordance with the trap-neuter-return process.(3)All community cats may be managed and maintained by a community cat caregiver.(4)If the requirements of subsections (2) and (3) are met, the community cat is exempted from licensing, stray, at-large, and other provisions of this chapter that apply to owned animals. However, in no event shall a community cat be exempted from the nuisance provisions of this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 Update 1 | Unified Development Code: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Under § 14-10, the animal control center and any contracted shelter must route impounded, non-ear-tipped, free-roaming cats into the trap-neuter-return (TNR) process rather than standard impoundment. Every community cat processed this way must be sterilized, ear-tipped, and vaccinated against rabies before release. Once that's done, subsection (3) allows a community cat caregiver to manage and maintain the cat, and subsection (4) exempts the cat entirely from the city's licensing, stray, and at-large provisions that apply to owned animals, though it never exempts the cat from the chapter's nuisance rules.
Subsection (5) spells out lawful care: food kept in a proper feeding container, clean water free of debris and algae, and shelter that is unobtrusive, safe, and properly sized. Trapping a free-roaming cat is allowed only for TNR purposes, unless the cat is sick or injured and needs veterinary care. Subsection (7) requires that any ear-tipped cat received by animal control or a partner shelter be returned to the exact location where it was trapped, with no mandatory holding period, unless it needs treatment first.
Separately, § 14-18(1)(d) confirms that returning a community cat under this program is never treated as abandonment, protecting caregivers from a cruelty citation for release.
Violations & Fines
Community cats themselves carry no license fee or citation risk once sterilized, ear-tipped and vaccinated under § 14-10(4). A caregiver who lets a colony become a nuisance, or a resident who traps a healthy community cat for any reason besides TNR, can still be cited under Chapter 14's general penalty, § 14-3, tied to § 1-14: up to a $1,000 fine or 60 days in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to license a feral cat I feed?
Can I trap a feral cat in my yard?
What can I legally provide a colony cat?
Is releasing a trapped cat back outside considered abandonment?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shreveport
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