Smyrna, TN Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Title 10, Chapter 2 of the Smyrna Municipal Code treats dogs and cats together. Section 10-201 makes it unlawful to own, keep, or harbor any dog or cat without having it duly vaccinated against rabies and registered in accordance with the state's Anti-Rabies Law, T.C.A. § 68-8-101 et seq. The town does not print its own cat license fee or a separate town license for cats; the registration duty runs through the state law the section names. Section 10-202 adds the tag: it is unlawful to own, keep, or harbor a cat that does not wear a tag evidencing the vaccination and registration.

The at-large rule reaches cats as well. Section 10-203 makes it unlawful to knowingly permit a dog or cat you own or control to run at large within the corporate limits, and an owner who knowingly or negligently lets one roam can be prosecuted even if the animal was picked up and returned. Section 10-205 also bars keeping a cat that disturbs the neighborhood by loud and frequent whining or howling.

Seizure follows § 10-207. A police officer or other designated official can seize a cat found at large and place it in a pound designated by the Town Council. If the cat wears a tag, the owner is notified in person, by telephone, or by postcard and must appear within five days and redeem it by paying a reasonable pound fee under a schedule approved by the Town Council, or the cat is sold or humanely destroyed. A cat without a tag is sold or humanely destroyed unless legally claimed within three days, and no cat leaves the pound until it has been vaccinated and has a vaccination tag on its collar.

If a cat has bitten a person, or is suspected of having bitten one or of carrying rabies, § 10-206 lets the animal control officer or the Chief of Police confine or isolate it for as long as reasonably necessary to determine whether it is rabid. Title 10 does not mention feral cat colonies or trap-neuter-return programs.