Cat owners on Kauai would be required to get a license for their pet under a new program passed by the Kauai County Council.

The Council voted 4-2 Wednesday to pass Bill 2517 to establish a cat licensing program to help tackle the overpopulation of free-roaming cats on the island. The measure will be sent to the mayor’s office for consideration.

"I think this is the first step as a community to address the cat problem that we are experiencing on the island," said Penny Cistaro, executive director of the Kauai Humane Society.

Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura introduced the bill to protect the island’s native species as well as cats by reducing the number of stray cats and increasing the number of lost cats being reunited with their owners. The program would help officials distinguish between owned and stray cats.

The bill was also in response to dog owners who questioned why they bear the brunt of county fees and said cat owners should also be required to share in paying for animal control costs. Dog owners who included hunters had testified last year on a bill seeking to restructure dog license fees.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Yukimura said, "These are for cats that are let outdoors and tied to a fee schedule of spaying and neutering. It’s not a leash law. It doesn’t require cats to be held on property."

In the first six months of the current fiscal year, 63 percent of the animals at the Humane Society were cats and 37 percent were dogs. Six percent of cats were returned to their owner and 44 percent of dogs were returned to their owner.

Revenue from the program would go to the Humane Society. Cistaro said the annual projected revenue from the cat licensing program is estimated to generate $17,000 to $18,000.

The annual cat license fee would be $30 for unneutered male and unspayed female cats and $10 for neutered and spayed cats. Biennial license fees would be $50 for unneutered and unspayed cats and $15 for neutered and spayed cats.

Under the bill, cats 4 months and older would have to be licensed.

Numbered metal tags will be issued to owners for their cats to be attached to their pets’ collars. Cost for the metal tag is $2.

If an impounded cat, with or without a license, has not been sterilized, the person claiming the cat will be required to pay $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second offense and $75 for the third and any subsequent offenses. The owner may opt to have the cat sterilized in lieu of paying the fee under the new program.

Councilman Mel Rapozo voted against the bill because he wants to review recommendations by the Kauai Feral Cat Task Force, which will submit a report to the Council in April on the cat problem.

"It’s premature at this time to pass the bill knowing we’re going to get recommendations from the task force," he said.