Wausau, WI Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Cat limit
- 3 per residential unit (2 dogs)
- Pet fancier permit
- Up to 4 cats, 5 animals combined
- TNR sponsor
- Community Cat Action Team, Inc.
- Cats in heat
- Must be confined
- Over-limit forfeiture
- $75 to $275
Summary
Wausau caps most residential units at three cats and two dogs over five months old, with a City Clerk pet fancier permit allowing more. Registered feral cat colony caregivers under a trap-neuter-return program get an affirmative defense to prosecution, and Section 8.08.210 requires confining any female cat or dog in season.
It shall be an affirmative defense to prosecution under sections 8.08.030, Dognapping and catnapping; 8.08.120, Number of dogs and cats limited; 8.08.170, Licenses; and, 8.08.190, Animals not to run at large, that the animal is a feral or stray cat provided care by a Caregiver approved by the authorized TNR program. ... (a)No more than two dogs and/or three cats, over the age of five months, shall be kept in or upon one residential unit or by one or more persons constituting one residential unit. ... Any female dog or cat in season shall be kept confined in a building or secure kennel enclosure, veterinary hospital or boarding kennel during the duration of such season.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
120(a) limits a residential unit to no more than two dogs and three cats over five months old. A pet fancier permit from the City Clerk raises that to five animals combined, with a maximum of four cats and four dogs, but requires a non-refundable application fee, proof of current licensing or rabies compliance for each animal, no chapter violations or animal-cruelty conviction within the prior two years, and an annual renewal expiring December 31. 's authorized TNR program must register the colony, work toward rabies vaccination and spay or neuter of colony cats, seek permanent homes for adoptable cats and weaned kittens, control excrement, and immediately report any cat suspected of rabies exposure to the City Animal Control Officer.
Compliant caregivers get an affirmative defense to prosecution under the dognapping, pet-limit, licensing and at-large sections. 210 requires any female dog or cat in season to be confined in a building, secure kennel, veterinary hospital or boarding kennel for the duration.
Violations & Fines
Keeping more cats or dogs than Section 8.08.120 allows without a pet fancier permit carries an escalating forfeiture under Section 8.08.270(b): $75.00 for a first violation, $125.00 for a second, and $275.00 for a third or subsequent violation. A cat or dog in season that is not confined under Section 8.08.210 falls under the chapter's general penalty in Section 8.08.270(a), a forfeiture up to $200.00 plus costs of prosecution, with up to 15 days in the county jail in lieu of payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cats can I legally keep in Wausau?
Are feral cat colonies allowed in Wausau?
Does a TNR cat count toward my pet limit?
What if my cat goes into heat?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
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