Hawaii's New Cat Sterilization Mandate
House Bill 1736, introduced in the 2026 Hawaii legislative session, would require every cat over five months old in the state to be sterilized. Intact cats would be prohibited from being imported into Hawaii, with limited exceptions for licensed breeders and cat shows. Violations could carry fines of up to $1,000 per animal.
A companion bill, HB 1594, would require documentation of sterilization for any cat or dog imported into the state.
The bills are backed by the Hawaiian Humane Society, the American Bird Conservancy, and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Hawaii Tribune-Herald: Bills Seek to Rein in Free-Roaming Cat Population
Why Hawaii
Hawaii's native wildlife evolved without mammalian predators. There are no native land mammals other than the Hawaiian hoary bat. The islands' birds, insects, and reptiles have no evolutionary defense against cats. The result has been catastrophic.
Feral cats on Hawaii carry toxoplasmosis, which has killed endangered nene goslings, Hawaiian monk seals, and the critically endangered Hawaiian crow. Cats prey directly on wedge-tailed shearwaters, Newell's shearwaters, Hawaiian petrels, and dozens of other species that nest on the ground because they never needed to fear ground predators.
Hawaii County already banned feeding feral animals on county-managed land, effective January 1, 2026. Honolulu County makes it unlawful to let an unsterilized cat over six months old roam at large.
Hoodline: Hawaii's Cat Crackdown Targets Free-Roaming Felines
The Opposition
Cat advocacy groups oppose mandatory sterilization laws. Their arguments: low-income owners cannot afford the procedure; enforcement is difficult; the law criminalizes pet ownership. These arguments apply to every animal regulation ever enacted and have never been sufficient reason to do nothing.
Low-income spay/neuter assistance programs exist. Hawaii has several. The cost of sterilizing one cat is $50 to $200. The cost of one feral colony — in wildlife damage, public health risk, and animal control resources — runs into the tens of thousands.
Will It Pass
Previous cat legislation in Hawaii has faced intense lobbying from cat advocacy organizations, particularly Alley Cat Allies, which has opposed feral cat management efforts nationwide. Whether HB 1736 survives committee depends on whether legislators prioritize endangered Hawaiian wildlife over the comfort of cat owners who refuse to sterilize their animals.
The bill is the most aggressive cat population control measure currently under consideration in any U.S. state. If it passes, Hawaii could serve as a model for mainland jurisdictions drowning in feral cats with no regulatory tools to address them.
One thousand dollars per unsterilized cat. Five months to comply. Hawaii is tired of watching its wildlife die.