Springfield, MA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Springfield City Code § 110-5.A requires animals to be kept under restraint in public but specifically exempts sterilized cats. Section 110-5.C fines the owner of a reproductively whole cat found at large $100 per violation, waived if the owner has the cat sterilized within 10 days and shows proof to the City Clerk; a third at-large offense triggers mandatory sterilization and microchipping at the owner's expense. Feeding feral cats to the point they become a public nuisance is separately barred under § 110-5.B, and § 110-1 defines FERAL/HOMELESS CAT as one living in an untamed state or abandoned by an owner. Cats three months or older must also be vaccinated against rabies under § 110-2.A.