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Alpena council adopts ordinance restricting outdoor shelters and narrowing feeding practices for community cats after heated public comment
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment and council debate, Alpena’s City Council approved ordinance 25‑514, revising Chapter 10 of the city code to require caregivers of community cats to assume responsibility (including spay/neuter), to prohibit exterior shelters in certain circumstances, and to require removal of food overnight; council said the change gives staff tools to respond to nuisance complaints.
Alpena’s City Council adopted ordinance 25‑514 on Monday, April 20, 2026, revising the city’s animal code to address disputes over free‑roaming “community cats.” The ordinance, passed after a second‑reading debate and lengthy public comment, establishes caregiver responsibilities (including spay/neuter expectations), bans exterior shelters in certain circumstances and requires removal of food overnight when feeding becomes a nuisance to neighbors.
City Manager Rachel Smolinsky told the council the changes are intended to strike a balance between humane population control and neighbors’ complaints about cats congregating on adjacent properties. “The revised ordinance reflects a deliberate effort to balance compassion and…
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