South Dakota Police Warn You Not to Feed Stray Cats-But Why?

Be careful if you feed stray cats in this South Dakota town! You can pay a serious price for being kind to the kitties.

Police in Yankton, South Dakota, are noticing a growing population of stray cats gathering around Riverside Park. More likely than not, this is because local South Dakota residents keep on feeding the cats. But did you know that feeding stray cats in Yankton, South Dakota, is against the law?!

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Officials with the Yankton Police Department are sending a friendly reminder to residents not to feed cats, raccoons, or any stray animals in the area.  It's illegal to feed stray animals of any kind, and it makes the city seem dirty.

Residents who are caught feeding stray animals in Yankton are at risk of paying hefty fines...

A stray refers to an animal that is not owned by any person. Feeding stray animals is an offense against City Ordinance Chapter 5, Sec. 5-23: "No person shall harbor, keep or feed a stray animal. A person who sees a stray animal shall immediately report the same to the animal control officer". Fines are as follows: $126.50 for 1st violation, $162.50 for 2nd violation, $312.50 for 3rd violation.

Yankton Police Department explains they are mainly finding "old table scraps" that might not be good for any animal. Leaving food can also attract unwanted animals to the area. Some South Dakota residents aren't too thrilled to see that their good deed can lead to a big punishment!

Well that's just heartless. These are creatures that could possibly have been abandoned by their owners, it's not their fault at times that they are on the streets.

If you won’t help them, we won’t stop feeding them.

This is rather discouraging. Yes, there shouldn't be stray cats but please don't dis on those trying to help them

My advice...save your money and leave the stray animals alone. I know people want to help these poor kitties. You never know what stray animals can do. Better to be safe than sorry.