Groan... the fact that it made the news means that's a silly bylaw for someone to have been fined for violating it.

Bylaws that make sense don't make the news when someone is fined for violating them.

What's interesting is that it's probably an unconstitutional law. I know for a fact they'd never be able to get it to stick in any Commonwealth Nation operating with a constitution with roots going back to the Magna Carta and the concept of a man's home being his castle... meaning that nobody, not even the king, can enter it without the owner's permission, such that it's nobody's business what goes on in there unless it can be *proven* that *emanating* from the home is something dangerous to the community.

In the US, home owners have similar protections that require law enforcers to have warrants to enter private property, and I think it's still based upon being able to prove that "harm" is *emanating* from the home (i.e., that's how they justify going in with a warrant on a search for a crack lab) but I'd like to see them prove that four cats constitute a risk to the community, especially if the cats never go out... and even if they do... then if they're fixed, and they've had their shots, and they have a collar... what's the threat?

The notion of needing a kennel license would be based on the idea that the owner is breeding the cars, so a good lawyer could shred that bylaw to pieces on constitutional grounds if the homeowner can show that the cats are fixed.

If they want to keep the bylaw, then they're going to have to put in a qualifier saying that they need a kennel license if it's more that three un-neutered/un-spayed cats of different sexes such that now it's de-facto a breeding kennel.

Wow, $1,800 is ALOT. I do think there should be some sort of limit on the number of animals, and a small fee might even be a good idea. Think of it... Image in 600 sq foot apartment.. with 5 cats in it? That's a lot of cats for a small space, and no matter how much you love animals, it's just not enough room for them. It might be different if you lived in a 3000sq foot house, where humans and a larger number of cats could live comfortably.
In my town, the limit is 4 cats, 4 dogs, but not 4 of both. (i'm not sure what happens if you have both, like whether 4 cats and 3 dogs would be ok?). This limit is extremely reasonable to me. I know a lady that had 6 chows in her small bungalow and the dogs could hardly get into the same room together. By no means could that have been a comfortable living situation.
In my town, dogs also need a dog license... not sure what the cost is, something like 20/year maybe.
I think the fee is in place to ensure you can actually afford the animals you keep, and 50 dollars makes sense to me. Thats less than 1 vet trip - if you are going to own animals, you have no choice but to comply with their costs. If you don't have 50 dollars (which I assume is a 1 time fee?) than how can you possibly afford it if one of your animals needs to go to the vet? There are way too many people out there that hoard pets (which is quite common) and can barely even afford to feed them, and if something happens, they don't have the money to take care of them. You buy a pet knowing it's going to cost you for the vet, for food, for toys, for bedding, etc. If you are going to buy more than 3 cats, you have to understand it's going to cost you, so you also need to know it's going to cost you a fee to keep them. I think this is a great idea to tell you the truth, and in relation to other animal expenses, 50 is not a lot.
I think there should be more of a limit, as well. Ok, more than 3. Does that mean for $50 you can keep 100 cats? That can't be sanitary or comfortable for the people, or for the animals. Maybe something like 2 cats/dog based on a 1000sq ft home or less, +1 animal for every 500 square feet you have (or something of that nature). Having several animals in a large home is different than having several animals in a small home or condo.
Of course, there would have to be notations for things like a cat having kittens. It's a little hard to police, and you shouldn't necessarily pay for the 3 months the kitties will be in your home.
I do think $1800 is a little extreme, especially if it was something like 4 or 6 cats. If the lady had 60 cats in her home, I think 1800 would be a reasonable cost.

If you have pets, you need to understand the expenses and plan for them!

That's ridiculous. 4 cats, 5 cats, even 6 cats is not an extraordinary amount of cats to have in a home.

I might support a kennel license for maybe a quantity of 8 cats+.

But 4 cats? It sounds like this was a cheap fundraiser idea the city came up with years and years ago. This poor woman.

What bothers me the most is that there are SO MANY cats and dogs who need good, loving homes. And that city went out of its way to make it harder for a good cat mom to take care of her babies. Having pets should not be a finable offense unless there actually is an issue of health, neglect, abuse, or sanitary problems.