Youngstown, OH Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Youngstown Codified Ordinances § 505.14 is the code's primary cat-specific rule: it requires 'whoever owns or harbors a dog, cat or ferret within the City' to have the animal 'properly vaccinated against rabies and revaccinated within each succeeding twelve months' if a phenolized vaccine was used, or every three years if an avianized vaccine was used. A newly acquired, unvaccinated cat must be vaccinated 'at once,' and cats under six months old are exempt entirely. Cats brought into the City temporarily for shows or exhibitions are also exempt as long as they stay under their owner's control.

Unlike dogs, which must be annually registered with the Mahoning County Auditor under § 505.03, the Codified Ordinances impose no separate cat licensing requirement and no dedicated feral-colony or cat-at-large provision; the general animals-running-at-large rule in § 505.01(a) is written around cattle, sheep, geese, ducks, turkeys, chickens and fowl and does not name cats. Whoever vaccinates or revaccinates a cat must keep a record and report it to the Department of Health, including a description of the animal and the owner's name and address, and must fit the cat with a tag showing the vaccination year.

Refusing to vaccinate, failing to keep or report the record, or failing to provide the required tag is itself a separate violation of subsection (d), on top of leaving the cat unvaccinated.