THOUSAND OAKS : Council to Consider Licensing of Cats

The Thousand Oaks City Council will consider today whether to pursue a staff recommendation to implement a mandatory cat licensing program.

The licensing program is being proposed because more cats than dogs have been impounded in recent months and officials have had a difficult time tracking their owners, said Brenda Young, a public works official.

From July through October, the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control impounded 428 stray cats in the city, compared to 385 dogs, Young said. The Los Angeles agency contracts with Thousand Oaks to provide animal control services.

The cat-licensing program would make it quicker and easier to return the animals to their owners, and it would be safer for the public because the cats, like dogs, would have to be vaccinated against rabies, Young said.

There are also financial benefits that the city would reap. Pet owners would pay $5 to license a spayed or neutered cat and $10 for an untreated animal. The lower fee is to encourage pet owners to have their animals spayed when it is appropriate, Young said.

Currently, there are about 10,000 cats in Thousand Oaks, compared to 13,000 dogs. Los Angeles County officials project that about 20% of the city’s cat owners would participate in the first year of the licensing program, generating about $9,600 for the city.

This is based on 2,000 cats being licensed at an average fee of $7.50, minus a $2.70 license processing fee charged for each pet by the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control.

Los Angeles County officials project a 65% to 70% compliance rate by the fifth year of the licensing program, generating an annual return of about $31,200 for Thousand Oaks.

Young said that cats picked up in Thousand Oaks and not reunited with their owners are eventually put up for adoption, instead of being destroyed.