Collier County, Fla., is mulling over a proposal to limit the number of cats that a homeowner can have to three.
County government spokeswoman Camden Smith said the idea came up after having to deal with a woman who owned 30 cats. Technically, there was nothing the county could do to make the woman get rid of some of the cats, since there was no law on the books.
The countys Domestic Animal Services Advisory Board, which makes recommendations to the county commissioners, will discuss the idea at its next meeting, scheduled for May 16.
Homeowners are already prohibited from owning more than three dogs; however that regulation doesn't apply to puppies under six months in age.
Jan Rich, of the organization For the Love of Cats, Inc., a no-kill shelter that looks after and neuters stray and feral cats, said she's encouraging cat lovers to express their disapproval at the advisory board meeting against the proposal.
Rich said that her worry is that the regulation would punish people who took in stray cats. Currently, anyone found breaking county laws against harboring too many or banned animals -- such as livestock -- in homes faces a $105 fine for a first violation, $255 for a second and $405 for a third.
Posted: May 2, 2006, 5:00 a.m. EST