Cats are amazing pets. Spending just half an hour of time with a cat has been proven to boost a person’s level serotonin — the feel good chemical. Another study from 2003 also found that having a cat in the house was the emotional equivalent of having a romantic partner.
However, they’re also pretty fickle creatures, and often refuse to do what you might want them to. Some areas have gotten so frustrated with their cats that they’ve even made legal statutes in attempts to corral them into obedience.
Don’t believe it? Here are a few strange legal statutes our law research was able to find.
No Fighting.
In Barber, North Carolina, a legal statute prohibits cats and dogs from fighting each other. Whether or not the Tar Heel State’s pets know that they’re legally not allowed to settle their differences with fisticuffs is unknown, but chances are they’re still going to fight either way.
No Yowling.
In Columbus, Georgia, cats aren’t allowed to yowl after the clock strikes nine at night, which is pretty unfortunate considering that’s the only time most felines have for choir practice in their busy schedules of napping, eating, and being mischievous.
No Sleeping in Bakeries.
In Duluth, Minnesota, cats aren’t allowed to sleep in bakeries, which begs the obvious question of just how many sleepy kitties sleeping in sweetly-scented bakeries to make it actually illegal in the court of law.
No Chasing Dogs Up Telephone Poles.
In International Falls, Minnesota, cats cannot chase dogs up telephone poles, which is strange not only because it’s usually the other way around, but the fact that dogs could be capable of even scaling a telephone pole.
It’s strange to think that there are legal statutes out there whose sole legislative intent is to basically herd cats, but they’re out there, on the books, in existence. If you’ve ever found any strange legal statutes like these in your own legislative history research, feel free to share in the comments.
