Law Exempts the Ill From Ban on Pets

Landlords who tell tenants that no pets are allowed could be headed for a legal cat fight.

City Council members this week enacted a law that gives senior citizens, disabled people and AIDS patients the right to keep up to two pets in their apartments or townhouses--regardless of their building’s policies and restrictions.

Officials said their ordinance is the first of its kind. They cite studies showing that older people live longer and visit the doctor less if they have pets; pets offer companionship and sometimes assist the impaired and ill.

“No one should ever live with the fear of having to choose between their home and their beloved pet,” said Councilman Paul Koretz, who initiated the ordinance.