The Marin Humane Society

Licensing and Pet Identification

Novato Cat Licensing Ordinance

A high-tech solution to an age-old problem

On November 9, 1995, Novato joined other Bay Area communities by requiring that all owned cats be licensed. The Novato cat ordinance also requires that cats four months of age or older and allowed out-of-doors must also be sterilized

The new licensing requirement includes the option to identify your cat with a permanent microchip ID or a break-away collar and license tag. Smaller than a grain of rice, the microchip ID is painlessly injected between a cat's shoulder blades. With the wave of a hand-held scanner, an ID number appears and the guardian information is retrieved from a computer.

This lifesaving ordinance is designed to reduce cat overpopulation and return lost cats to their families as quickly as possible. Anyone cited under the ordinance who cannot afford to sterilize their cats will be eligible for free or low-cost sterilization and microchipping from The Marin Humane Society.

For more information on the Novato Cat Ordinance, call (415) 883-4621.

If you live in Novato, California...

Here's how the Novato Cat Ordinance works:

Identify

Bring your cat to The Marin Humane Society where microchip IDs or break-away collars and license tags are available during regular business hours, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday and until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. The shelter is located at 171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd. in Novato or call us at (415) 883-4621. We also offer monthly clinics around Marin County; call for (415) 883-4621 x262 for upcoming clinics.

License

** One, two or three-year licenses are available.

** Senior & disabled person discounts are available for the microchip ID only.

** A multiple (5+) cat household registration fee of $60 includes microchipping and licensing for all cats at a single residence.

Sterilize

All cats four months or older who are allowed out-of-doors must be spayed or neutered. The Marin Human Society's Spay/Neuter Clinic offers low-cost sterilization Mondays through Thursdays. Call (415) 883-3383 to schedule an appointment or for a referral to a veterinarian participating in the Society's low-cost program. Financial assistance is available.