Count Atlanta among the growing number of U.S. cities and towns that no longer allows the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores.
The ordinance was recently passed by the Atlanta City Council, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Eight other Georgia cities have passed similar ordinances. About 250 cities and towns nationally have done so.
In Atlanta, the measure, which passed 14-0, is preventive. Local officials don’t know of any pet stores in the city that sell cats or dogs.
The legislation “is intended to discourage the operation of puppy and kitten mills,” the Journal-Constitution reports.
“I thought it was best if the city was forward thinking and humane in its policies, alongside our polices for people,” City Councilman Amir Farokhi, who proposed the measure, was quoted saying.
Read more at Atlanta Journal-Constitution