Last modified: Friday, September 7, 2007 7:51 AM EDT A cat on the prowl in Attleboro could get his owner in trouble under a proposed ordinance. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL) Those darn cats BY GEORGE W. RHODES SUN CHRONICLE STAFF ATTLEBORO - Lucky, Fluffy and Spot would have to mend their wandering ways if a proposal by one city councilor ever becomes law. Councilor Brian Kirby proposed an ordinance this week that would force cat owners to keep the animals, which are natural roamers and hunters, corralled on their own property or risk fines that escalate to $100 every time a cat trespasses or is found out of its owner's yard. While at least one colleague has panned the proposal as "ridiculous," Kirby said his effort is an appropriate response to complaints registered by two residents. He said the proposal is "exploratory" and "may not go anywhere," but needs to be raised. "It's purely in response to a couple of constituent concerns, and I believe they deserve that much," Kirby said. One resident contacted him about a neighbor's cat that jumped over a fence and killed a pet bird in front of him. Another resident complained about a rogue roamer that scratched the hood of his car and left his yard "smelling like a litter box." "I'm not suggesting that we keep cats indoors, but I want to see if we have any recourse if they are harming other pets or using yards as litter boxes," Kirby said. "We at least need to explore the issue," Kirby said. "We may not find anything, and it may not go anywhere." Kirby, who is not a cat owner, acknowledged a cat control ordinance could be hard to enforce. The actual wording of the proposal says "no owner or keeper of a cat shall cause or permit such cat, whether licensed or unlicensed, to run at large or be a public nuisance within the city of Attleboro." While seven of his colleagues voted to put the matter into the ordinance committee which is headed by Kirby, Councilor Bill Bowles, a member of the committee, said the proposal is absurd. "In all my 12 years on the city council, it is one of the most ridiculous proposals I've ever seen," he said. "To try to contain a cat like a dog is ridiculous." Bowles, who has owned outdoor cats in the past, said the ordinance would essentially force people to keep their cats indoors because it's almost impossible to keep a cat in the yard "unless you build a box over it." "What it would basically do is outlaw outdoor cats," he said. "Even super-progressive communities haven't sunk that low." Bowles said the effort is a waste of time, and the council should focus its attention on issues like downtown revitalization and climbing water and sewer rates. "I can't picture the council seriously entertaining an ordinance to restrict cats, but stranger things have happened," Bowles said. GEORGE W. RHODES can be reached at 508-236-0432 or at grhodes@thesunchronicle.com.