All Cats Must Wear Bells to Alert Birds of Their Whereabouts…and other strange cat laws….

  Posted on July 23, 2013  by Joy of Living  No comments

Jessie, the scholarly dog, indulging her sense of curiosity and discovering in the process that there are some pretty strange cat laws on the books:

I am all in favor of laws that affect cats. After all, it’s all I can do to keep that mangy Party Marty in line here on the home front. As I was doing some online research today, I came across bandofcats.com and found a list of laws that have been on the books for years and are geared most notably towards cats.  Take a peek and then tilt your head in dog-like fashion as they tickle your curiosity. Again, many of these are old laws and I doubt they carry much weight today. Still, some may apply to the most judicious of people who are willing to enforce them.

• All black cats must wear bells on Friday the 13^th in French Lick Springs, Indiana.
• Joint custody of a family pet, including cats, is not allowed when two people divorce in Madison, Wisconsin. The cat is legally awarded to the individual who happens to have possession of said pet at the time of the initial separation.
• Cats in International Falls, Minnesota are banned from chasing dogs up telephone poles. (Yes, this one made me laugh! Like I would run up a telephone pole. I have a cell phone. The only thing I run up is the bill!)
• Cats and dogs are prohibited from fighting in Barber, North Carolina.
• Cats residing in Cresskill, New Jersey must wear bells to warn birds of their whereabouts.
• If you are a cat living in Duluth, Minnesota, never fall asleep in a bakery. Not allowed!
• If you reside in Zion, Illinois, please refrain from giving a lighted cigar to a cat.
• California law forbids cats from mating publicly within 1500 feet of a tavern, school or place of worship.

Who knew?????