STOCKTON (CBS13)

“Every time Mary Baker tries to take her cat out, there’s drama.

“This is impossible,” said Baker, as her leashed cat runs inside through a dog door. “She’s crying too.”

Despite her cat’s typical defiant behavior, a leash is a requirement at her condo — strange as it may seem to some.

“Cannot be outside without a leash,” said Mary.

“They wanted us to put the cat on the leash, and that’s what I’m thinking you gotta be kidding me,” said Tom Tiedje, Mary’s Landlord.

This week the condo association in this Stockton community listened to several complaints about stray dogs and cats. They decided Baker’s cat must obey the same rules as dogs.

“I’m frustrated because she’s a cat a cat, come on. She’s gonna do what she wants,” said Mary.

Baker says the doggie door is the problem. Her cat, Nefer, follows her dog outside.

“Her and the dog chase each other out here. They play,” said Mary.

Some may see this fight as catty human behavior, but neighbors are fed up with Nefer’s constant visits to the community’s open space, and stepping in droppings is no fun, so putting the cat on the leash doesn’t seem so ridiculous.

“If it bothered everyone around me and aggravated all my neighbors, I’d probably do it or I’d get rid of the damn cat,” said Doug Durham, a neighbor.

“They wanna come out and not have to worry about stepping in leftovers, but I think a cat on a leash idea is impractical. It goes against nature,” said Tom.

The condo rules and regulations contract says dogs must not be on a leash, but there’s no mention anywhere in the guidelines about cats.

A condo association representative says the association is in the process of trapping all stray dogs and cats. They also say the leash rule applies to both dogs and cats.