Vestavia Hills, AL Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Section 4-53(b) states that except as otherwise provided by the section, it is unlawful for any person to knowingly feed, offer food, or in any manner provide food to any feral cat on private or public property within the city limits for the purpose of attracting or harboring such animals. Section 4-52 defines a feral, stray or abandoned cat as any domestic cat reasonably believed not to be owned or under any person's entrusted care, including any cat that appears homeless, abandoned, non-socialized or uncared for based on its behavior, physical condition, and the absence of a collar, tag or microchip identifying an owner.

Section 4-54 carves out four exceptions to the feeding ban: government or veterinary employees handling feral cats in the course of official duties, feeding a person's own domesticated household cat, food that is merely incidental to another lawful activity and not intended to attract feral cats, and food provided as part of humane trapping meant to relocate the cats to nonresidential areas. Section 4-53(a) separately makes it unlawful to keep or harbor a feral cat at any place in the city regardless of the cat's age, size, or whether it was born or raised in captivity, which pairs with the feeding ban to discourage colonies from forming on private property.