ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 45 



Cat Ordinances ana State Laws 



The President and the Secretary of the Illinois Audubon So- 

 ciety frequently receive letters of inquiry about possible legisla- 

 tion relating to the cat nuisance. Inquiries about the laws of 

 Illinois having to do with the protection of non-game and insec- 

 tivorous birds are also frequent. For these reasons it seems 

 advisable to reprint a resume of the bird laws of the state as 

 it appeared two years ago, and preface it with suggestions as 

 to working out a possible solution for the cat problem. 



Without amending the present laws of the state it does not 

 seem possible to outlaw the stray cat. In several instances cat 

 ordinances have been framed for adoption by city councils but 

 expert legal advice has each time been to the effect that there 

 is no foundation in state law upon which to base such ordinances. 

 It has been pointed out before that the law granting power to 

 municipalities to restrain certain animals from running at large 

 might be amended to include cats. A simple way to bring this 

 about would be to insert four words in the revised statutes as 

 they now are. This would make the eightieth item in paragraph 

 No. 62 of article No. 5 read as follows, the changes being print- 

 ed in italics : "The city council in cities and the President and 

 board of trustees in villages shall have the following powers : 



"Eightieth : To regulate, restrain and prohibit the running at 

 large of horses, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, geese, dogs, and cats, 

 and to inpose a tax on dogs and cats." 



Clothed with these powers, municipalities should adopt cat 

 ordinances providing for the extermination of stray and un- 

 restrained cats, and officers should be designated to collect and 

 dispose of such cats in a humane way. 



The attention of the State Department of Game and Fish 

 has been called to this matter of amending the state laws and 

 co-operation of the authorities has been promised. Chief War- 

 den Wm. J. Stratton believes that there should be power to 

 restrain hunting dogs during the breeding season of ground 

 nesting birds. This is an important matter and it is hoped 

 that this and the other items mentioned will be included in a 

 bill which Audubonites and sportsmen alike can support at the 

 coming session of the legislature. 



In response to frequent inquiries the Illinois laws relating to 

 non-game or insectivorous birds, they are here reprinted as they 

 appeared in the Spring 1920 Bulletin, with explanatory com- 

 ment. No changes were made in the law in the 1921 session of 

 the legislature- 



The Illinois Law Relating to Non-Game or Insectivorous Birds. 



Section 17. Non-Game Birds. It shall be unlawful: 

 (a) For any person to shoot, kill, destroy or catch, or at- 

 tempt to shoot, kill, destroy or catch, or have in possession, living 

 or dead, any song, insectivorous or non-game seed-eating bird, 



