Forget about that fifth feline, says an amended Clanton city ordinance that limits the number of cats per household to four.

The City Council passed the measure last week upon the recommendation of Police Chief James Henderson. It is the first time the city has attempted to curtail cat population, although an existing law limits the number of dogs per household to three.

Clanton Animal Control Officer Chris Whittle said some residents have between 20 and 30 cats.

“When you get that many, cats have kittens like crazy. If you are not taking care of them, a lot of them die,” he said.

The main problems associated with large cat populations are offensive odors and the destruction of property. These problems are intensified in neighborhoods where homes are close in proximity to one another.

One such complaint involved an elderly woman who couldn’t walk to her mailbox.

“They were just using her property for a litter box. They were getting up under the house having kittens and dying, and they were on her car all the time,” Whittle said. “I got complaints like that all the time.”

But without a provision in the animal control ordinance, Whittle could do nothing about the problem. When he looked deeper into the issue, he discovered many cities had already imposed restrictions on cats.

“Now if I get a complaint and find someone is in violation, they will have to go down to the ordinance limit,” he said.

Punishment for violating the law is a maximum $500 fine or up to six months imprisonment, or both a fine and imprisonment. Each day a violation is allowed to continue may constitute a separate offense.

But what about kittens? The ordinance does make an exception for all kittens under the age of 3 months. It also provides for situations where residents were already in violation of the ordinance, but prohibits any additional cats.

One neighborhood is going the extra mile to help a woman who owns 20-plus cats. Through a fundraising effort, they are taking five cats at a time to the Chilton County Humane Society to get spayed or neutered.

“It makes me feel good that a community is coming together to help one lady,” Humane Society director Paula Jo Mattingly said. “Her cats are her life.”