Tonawanda, NY Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Adopted by the Town Board on February 7, 2011 as Local Law No. 1-2011, Chapter 60 covers every cat owner in the Town of Tonawanda outside the Village of Kenmore, which is excluded under § 60-2 because it has its own code. Section 60-4 sets three duties. First, an owner must keep a cat in safe, sanitary and healthful surroundings so it does not become a nuisance to neighbors or the public; noxious odors, unsightly litter, or repeated violations of the chapter are all treated as nuisance conditions in themselves.

Second, no owner may allow a cat to damage or destroy property, or commit a nuisance, on public areas or on premises belonging to someone other than the cat's owner or keeper. Third, an owner of a female cat cannot let her run at large while in heat; she must be confined to the owner's own premises during that period. The chapter defines an adult cat as one six months of age or older and defines an owner broadly to include anyone owning, harboring, keeping, or having custody or control of a cat.

Enforcement falls to the animal control officer or any other person the Town Board authorizes under § 60-5. Unlike the town's dog law, Chapter 60 does not require cat licensing or set a numeric cap on cats per household; its restrictions are limited to the nuisance, property-damage, and in-heat confinement standards in § 60-4.