Stockton licenses cats and treats free-roaming cats as nuisances on neighbor property, while supporting trap-neuter-return colonies through Stockton Animal Services rather than aggressive impoundment.
SMC Title 6 requires all cats over four months to be licensed, vaccinated for rabies, and microchipped. Cats are not required to be confined indoors, but owners are responsible for nuisances such as defecation, fighting, and predation on neighboring property. Stockton supports community-cat trap-neuter-return programs run by local rescues; ear-tipped cats returned to colonies are not impounded if healthy. Repeat nuisance complaints can require enclosure or supervised outdoor access.
Unlicensed or repeatedly nuisance cats can lead to citations, impoundment of unaltered cats, license-fee penalties, and sterilization at owner expense before release.
Stockton, CA
Stockton has no dedicated wildlife feeding ban. General nuisance and animal service provisions under SMC Ch. 6.04 may apply when feeding creates pest or heal...
Stockton, CA
Stockton requires dogs and cats to be microchipped and licensed, with chip information kept current through Stockton Animal Services so lost pets can be retu...
See how Stockton's cat rules rules stack up against other locations.
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