Parish Council to write stray animal ordinance

Feeding large packs of stray animals may soon be against the law in St. Mary Parish.
On Dec. 10, the Parish Council asked its legal counsel to draft an ordinance similar to ones that exist in Berwick and Morgan City, concerning the feeding of stray cats and possibly animals in general, following a motion by Councilman Dean Adams of Morgan City.
Adams motioned for the suggestion after Jane Aucoin, an Amelia resident, called on the council to start enforcing laws to control what she describes as “an overpopulation of stray cats,” in Amelia.
“I have a pet that has been affected by this problem, and has been suffering from hookworms for the past four months. I think it’s time you start enforcing laws that are written.”
Adams said she spoke with someone at the parish animal control unit, but was told they only pick up on certain days.
Councilman At Large Gwen Hidalgo said she has seen video of large groups of cats, 12 to 15, feeding in a vacant parking lot at the Family Dollar Store in Amelia.
“We just don’t have the funding we need to regularly monitor this problem. Something needs to be done,” she said.
The town of Berwick and the city of Morgan City passed ordinances targeting stray and feral cats before the end of last year.
Berwick passed its ordinance in August 2024, which prohibits feeding stray cats and dogs on public property or at a business.
It does allow feeding on private residential property if the owner is the one doing the feeding.
There is a $50 fine for a first offense.
In September, the city of Morgan City passed three ordinances targeting stray animals, primarily focusing on prohibiting the feeding of strays (dogs and cats) on public and private property, imposing escalating fines ($50, $100, $200) for violations, and creating an exception for city-approved Trap-Neuter-Release programs, all in response to public complaints about property damage and feces from roaming animals.
The key details to the Morgan City ordinances are: It’s now illegal to feed stray or feral cats and dogs. The ban applies to both public land and private residential property.
Fines start at $50 for a first offense, rising to $100 for a second, and $200 for a third. However, the city allows partners working on a trap, neuter, and release programs to feed strays as part of their efforts.
An AI overview from Trupanion and Heartgard states that dogs can get hookworms from cats, as these parasites easily spread between pets and even to humans through contaminated soil, feces or ingesting larvae.
Transmission occurs when a dog licks or eats something contaminated from the environment or even directly from the infected cat feces, leading to serious anemia if untreated.
The article states that hookworm eggs in feces can survive in soil, which dogs can ingest or have larvae penetrate their skin.
A dog can ingest larvae or eggs by licking a cat that has them on its fur or by eating infected cat feces.
Hookworm larvae can also burrow directly into a dog’s (or human’s) skin, often through paws or their belly.