GLOVERSVILLE - Mayor Dayton J. King wants residents to be responsible for their pets, particularly the increasing number of cats and kittens he says are roaming about the city.
"My biggest concern is holding people accountable who are abandoning these animals," King said.
When a kitten or cat is abandoned by someone, whether that person leaves the area or not, "there is no recourse to hold people responsible," he said.
He said he wants to talk about the issue at the next city council meeting.
"We've got a lot of great pet owners in Gloversville, " he said. "Some aren't, and that's my concern."
The mayor says he received numerous comments about cats using children's backyard sandboxes as a litter box or strolling through backyards.
"How can we hold these owners responsible?" King asked at the June 26 council meeting.
No city regulations require cats to be licensed. There is regulation in the city code regarding a pet owner's responsibility.
The code states, "No person being the owner of any cat or having the custody and control of any such cat shall permit such cat to commit any nuisance within the city or cause damage to the property of others."
Public nuisances would include permitting cats to deposit waste on sidewalks, floors, walls or stairway of another's property, permitting cats to enter another's property and scratch, claw or deface the property, damage lawns, flowers, bushes or shrubbery or damage or destroy garbage bags placed out for collection.
The Common Council next meets at 6 p.m. July 24 at City Hall.