LA City Council Considers Raising Cat Limit to 5 Per Household

An LA city councilman says the current legal limit of three is preventing stray felines and cats at shelters from finding new homes

The Los Angeles City Council is considering whether to allow residents to legally own up to five cats per household in an effort to spur feline adoptions at animal shelters.

PHOTOS: Animals in the News

The motion, introduced Nov. 8 by Councilman Paul Koretz, proposes the number of allowed cats to be raised from three to five.

Koretz said the current legal limit is preventing stray felines and cats at shelters from finding new homes, possibly putting them at risk of euthanization.

"The most likely people to adopt additional cats are those who already have cats in their homes," Koretz said. "This is why it is so important for the City to raise the number of cats a resident may own from three to five."

The proposal states that all cats would have to be kept indoors at all times.

Residents who would want to own more than five felines would have to qualify for a cat kennel permit and agree to a yearly inspection of the cats.

A committee met Tuesday to discuss the motion, but it was postponed for a date to be determined.

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