Waukesha, WI Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Municipal Code §33.03 sets the core cat rule: no person may keep or maintain more than 2 cats over the age of 6 months in any household in the City. Every owner of a cat that reaches 5 months of age on January 1 of any year, or turns 5 months during the license year, must annually obtain a cat license and pay the fee on or before the date the cat turns 5 months, following the same statutory process Wisconsin sets for dog licensing under §§174.05 and 174.07, Wis.

Stats. Because Chapter 33's general provisions apply to "any animal regulated in this chapter," cats are also covered by §33.01's running-at-large rule: an owner must prevent a cat from being off its premises and outside the owner's physical control, by the same standard applied to dogs. The chapter's waste rules apply equally to cats: an owner may not let solid fecal matter be deposited on any street, alley or public or private property unless immediately removed, and property owners cannot let animal waste accumulate on their own land, including the strip between the street and the sidewalk, for more than 24 hours.

Waukesha also separately bans the commercial sale of cats within the City limits under §33.06: no retailer holding a Wisconsin seller's permit may sell cats, dogs or rabbits in the City, though animal care facilities and 501(c)(3) rescue organizations may still display cats for adoption at no cost. Cats are also included in the combined four-animal cap across cats, dogs, pot-bellied pigs and Nigerian Dwarf goats per dwelling unit under §33.01, cross-referenced against the two-cat species limit in §33.03(1).