City landlord Robin Persaud speaks to the City Council’s Housing Committee about possibly creating an ordinance for cats or small animals. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

A Lakewood resident who owns rental properties is asking the city to help decrease the number of cats people can legally own.

The issue was discussed by members of the City Council’s Housing Committee, with Robin Persaud asking the council about creating an ordinance similar to the city’s current dog ordinance can be created and enforced for cats and other small animals. Persaud said he has found as a landlord who has purchased properties in the city in recent months that there are people who he feels would have a higher quality of living if they reduced the amount of animals, specifically cats, in their homes.

“I have an individual that has seven cats and two dogs in a two-bedroom apartment and multi-family unit,” Persaud said. “It’s an unbearable situation. It’s unhealthy for my maintenance staff and myself and the residents and the neighboring tenants as well.”

Persaud said in speaking with his attorney there is currently no way for them to be able to force the owner to reduce the cat count in the apartment, especially as the owner says all of the animals are their emotional support animals. Persaud asked if a city wide ordinance could be made and enforced.

It was noted that the city’s dog ordinance allows for three dogs in apartments and multi-family units. Crystal Surdyk, city development director, brought up rental inspections and state-mandated lead inspections that they are working with the county on, that could possibly be a way for there to be a rental inspection without requiring Persaud to go to court.

Persaud said the lease does not say anything about animals, and that with the owner of the animals saying that all of the animals are for emotional support, he has found that these animals have almost the same amount of rights as service animals.

“It’s not limited to just cats or animals that would be considered a domesticated animal,” Persaud said. “It can be a boa constrictor, a rabbit, a mouse, a gerbil, I could go on and on.”

Council president Tony Dolce noted that as dogs are registered and cats are not it might be difficult to keep track of how many cats are in what house or apartment, especially if they are indoor and outdoor cats. The committee briefly talked about the difference between emotional support and service animals, and said that they can do more research and have some more discussion about potentially creating an ordinance or changing the law.