Pottsville Attempting to Revise Stray Cat Ordinance

Pottsville is rewriting its controversial stray cat ordinance, removing the threat of $600 fines while offering a new path for cat caregivers to avoid penalties.

On Monday, City Council will have a first reading of an amendment to the stray cat ordinance it passed in 2024.

That ordinance drew some harsh public criticism primarily because it included language that said the City could fine people up to $600 if they were caught feeding stray cats.

Pottsville Animal Control Officer Andrew VanArsdale previously told The Canary that no one has been fined $600 under the ordinance that’s currently in place.

But the toned-down ordinance still does call for progressive fines of up to $250 if a person is caught feeding stray cats numerous times.

Per a copy of the proposed ordinance obtained by Coal Region Canary, Pottsville will first issue a verbal warning, then a written warning after the first two offenses are noted. A third offense carries a $100 fine. Subsequent violations, per the letter of the amended ordinance, would carry $250 fines for each violation.

A person feeding stray cats can get immunity from fines if they’re participating in a TNR program. The proposed amended ordinance spells out the rules for that. It reads as follows:

§87-4, D, section 1; by changing to read as follows:

With the exception of feral cats and strays, any persons in the City of Pottsville shall not feed, put out shelter, and/or interact with all outdoor animals and wildlife and etc. unless working with a licensed animal rescue, state regulatory commission, or City Official.  Exemption for birdhouses in proper repair and using adequate materials for its suspension or foundation.

§87-4, E – Feeding of feral and stray cats limited

A – It shall be unlawful for any person to feed feral cats, as feeding feral cats creates a condition contrary to the health, safety, and welfare of the community.

B – Any person feeding stray or feral cats can only do so if said person is cooperating with any humane program sponsored by the City of Pottsville or operating under the City’s auspices that traps feral cats for the purpose of spaying/neutering the cats, immunizing the cats from rabies, “tipping” the cat’s left ear and then returning the cat to its environment in the general vicinity in which it was trapped.  Any feeding of a feral cat pursuant to a humane program sponsored by the City must be done on the person’s property and not on public property.  It shall be unlawful for any person to destroy said traps or to release any cats which have been captured pursuant to the City’s program.

In short, residents are only allowed to feed stray or feral cats if they’re working with an approved rescue group and doing so on their own property.

There is no language in the proposed amended ordinance that would prevent the feeding of strays after they’ve been returned to their original surroundings after they’ve been spayed or neutered.

Wollyung: “We didn’t have the right information.”

Pottsville Councilman Andy Wollyung tells The Canary that he’s put in work to make what he says are necessary changes to the stray cat ordinance. He admits that the ordinance passed in 2024 missed the mark but says, “There was good purpose behind it. The original ordinance had good intentions.”

One of the main issues, he believes, that caused the very loud public outcry was the possibility of the $600 fine for feeding stray cats. He says the revised ordinance he’s introducing on Monday takes “out the confusion about the $600 fine.”

Still, he says, “We didn’t have the right information,” before the original was passed. The original ordinance really placed a lot of the responsibility of getting strays into TNR programs on the City. This proposed ordinance gives stray cat feeders that ability.

Seeking Solutions Through “Due Diligence”

Prior to bringing this revised ordinance up for a first reading on Monday, Wollyung says he did “due diligence” and consulted with several organizations who can partner with the City to help residents in a TNR program.

Those organizations include No Nonsense Neutering and Hillside SPCA. He also got consultation from a personal friend, Kathy Dalton, of Frackville, who works with numerous rescue organizations in the region.

In a conversation with The Canary, Dalton says she educated Wollyung on TNR programs and what the goal of one should be for Pottsville.

“They’re community cats. There should be a community solution,” Dalton says is one piece of advice she shared with Wollyung.

She adds that there is no quick solution for solving Pottsville’s stray cat situation and that no one should expect that from any ordinance or laws passed. Dalton says anything passed now “should be a start and grow from here.”

Wollyung says No Nonsense Neutering is offering Pottsville a deal that it’ll complete 50 spay or neuter procedures on stray cats trapped in a TNR program for $15 each. It’ll also give the City six traps to loan to residents who participate.

Hillside SPCA says it’s a willing partner, too, at least in the City starting a proper TNR program.

In a letter addressed to Wollyung and City Council members to be read as Public Comment on Monday, Hillside SPCA Shelter Manager Sherrie Schafer and the Hillside Board of Directors writes:

“We urge the Council to proceed with a humane, science-based Trap-Neuter-Return approach that has proven effective in communities nationwide, most notably in Minersville. The Hillside SPCA fully supports the implementation of a TNR program in Pottsville and is willing to collaborate with the city to help manage and reduce the free-roaming cat population humanely through the Hillside Veterinary Clinic and other TNR organizations.”

Wollyung says if Council passes the ordinance after a second reading – expected no earlier than May – the City will publish a brochure explaining how residents can join a TNR program.

Fines Still in Place

While the possibility of a $600 fine has been removed from the proposed ordinance, the amended rules still call for fines after multiple offenses if a person doesn’t enroll in a TNR program.

Dalton says she didn’t advise Wollyung on the specifics of an ordinance and merely provided education on TNR programs and their benefits but she did tell The Canary, “You can’t fine people into obedience.”

And fines – even the ordinance, in general – are not sitting well with Hillside SPCA. In the letter sent to City Hall, it reads: “Hillside SPCA is opposed to the proposed ordinance concerning feeding stray and free-roaming cats within the City of Pottsville. While we understand the City’s desire to address concerns related to community cats, we believe that punitive measures and restrictive ordinances targeting stray cats or those who care for them may be both ineffective and counterproductive.”

Again, Hillside points to its successful implementation of a TNR program in Minersville and even invited City Hall to have a meeting with the shelter and former Minersville Police Chief Michael Combs, who spearheaded that effort when he was on the job.

“Experience and evidence from municipalities across the country have shown that programs focusing on removal or penalization of community cat caregivers do not result in sustainable population control and may inadvertently lead to increased inhumane death rates through poisoning and starvation as well as wrongful prosecution,” Hillside’s letter reads.

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