LATHROP – It’s not exactly raining cats and dogs where Lathrop resident Gary Clark lives. But an abundance of cats, both domestic and feral, have literally taken over his neighborhood.

It was this feline proliferation which brought him to the Lathrop council meeting Tuesday night and ask if there’s a municipal ordinance requiring cats to be licensed.

He said he believes there ought to be such a law requiring pet owners to have their cats licensed, just like those who have canines for pets.

Former Animal Services Manager Becky Enneking who is currently the city’s Interim Neighborhood and Community Services Director said there are some cities that do have an ordinance in place that require cats to be licensed as pets. However, the majority of cities do not have such a law, she said.

In the absence of a cat-license ordinance, what Lathrop currently does for roving abandoned tabbies is to provide them shelter at the animal facility in Manteca. Lathrop, which has no animal shelter facility, contracts with Manteca for that service.

Enneking said that the city can help the community in this abandoned-cat problem by transporting them to the Manteca shelter. However, she warned the city has to be careful in doing so to make sure that they “stay within our legal boundaries” in providing that type of service.

Mayor Kristy Sayles said she herself has noticed “an influx of cats” in the community due to the home foreclosures. She noted that there has been an “increase in cats and dogs that have been left by homeowners” to fend for themselves.

“We need to get compliance from property owners,” said Enneking addressing this problem.

“The city should look into that,” agreed Sayles.