House committee considers making animal abandonment a misdemeanor, adds feral‑cat exemption

A House committee discussed a bill to change how the law treats abandonment of dogs and cats, proposing to remove abandonment from the cruelty definition and make abandoning a dog or cat a class A misdemeanor. During the hearing a sponsor moved an amendment to exempt groups that trap, neuter and return feral cats.

The bill’s sponsor told committee members the change aims to reduce people leaving animals by roadsides or otherwise abandoning them. ‘‘I had several groups reach out about this. Apparently, there's a lot of groups that go around catching feral cats in the areas and stay in and return the back where they found them. I thought that was a reasonable exemption for this. So I do wanna add that here,’’ the presenter said.

Committee members pressed staff and the sponsor on enforcement and penalties. One member asked, "What's the punishment right now?" and sought clarity about whether cruelty prosecutions already cover abandonment. The presenter said the cruelty provisions remain in another section and that the bill is not changing those penalties; if abandonment leads to an animal’s death, prosecutors could pursue a separate felony charge under existing cruelty provisions.

The sponsor said they consulted LSA (Legislative Services Agency) while drafting the change and described the main practical problem as catching people in the act: witnesses, photos or video are often required to prove abandonment. Committee members also raised concerns about animals abandoned on social media and the limits of local shelter capacity; one speaker described shelters in Marshall County and differentiated between facilities described as "kill shelters" and others.

An amendment adding the feral‑cat exemption was moved by the presenter and seconded by another committee member. The transcript records the motion and the second but does not include a recorded vote or final outcome on the amendment or the bill.

Committee discussion distinguished between discussion, clarifying questions and formal action: members asked for legal and enforcement clarifications, staff noted how the current cruelty statute interacts with abandonment, and the sponsor formally moved the amendment. No final vote or formal disposition was recorded in the transcript provided.

The bill and its amendment will likely return to the committee record for further action; the transcript did not specify a next step, date or vote tally.