10/27/2026
POISONING CATS IS A CRIME IN OHIO.
Logan County TNR has received reports of cats being poisoned in communities around Indian Lake.
We want to be very clear: poisoning a cat is not pest control. It is animal cruelty, and it is against Ohio law.
Under Ohio Revised Code 959.131, every cat is considered a companion animal regardless of where it is kept. The law specifically prohibits knowingly poisoning or needlessly killing a companion animal. A first offense under this provision is a first-degree misdemeanor. Subsequent offenses can be charged as a fifth-degree felony.
Ohio also has a separate law specifically addressing the poisoning of animals, Ohio Revised Code 959.03, including placing poisoned food where an animal can find and eat it.
We have contacted local law enforcement regarding the reports we have received.
If you have witnessed someone putting out poison, have photographs or video, have found suspicious food or substances, or have information about cats that may have been poisoned, please document what you can safely and contact law enforcement. Do not confront the person yourself.
Keep children and pets away from anything suspicious.
These cats did not create this problem. Human beings did. They did not ask to be abandoned, left behind, born outdoors, or forced to survive however they can. The answer to a human-created problem cannot be poisoning animals.
There are legal and responsible ways to address community cat populations. Poisoning them is not one of them.
If you are doing this, stop. If you know who is doing it, report it to local law enforcement.
Ohio Revised Code 959.131
Ohio Revised Code 959.03