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In May 2006, Barry and Melissa Collins said they would fight a proposed Floyd County, Kentucky, ordinance that could have forced them to find a new home for their lion, Kitty. The available reporting does not establish whether the proposal became law or what later happened to Kitty. Kentucky’s current rules list lions as inherently dangerous exotic wildlife that people generally may not possess, but a limited exception applies to qualifying animals legally possessed in the state before July 13, 2005.
What the 2006 report said
The Associated Press reported on May 18, 2006, that the Collins family kept Kitty, a full-grown male lion, in a chain-link enclosure at their Floyd County home. Barry Collins said he had acquired Kitty as a cub about three years earlier. The report said he had obtained a state permit to bring the lion into Kentucky and a county license to keep him there; the available sources do not independently verify those documents or determine their legal effect. Associated Press report, republished by Fox News.
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The dispute concerned a proposed local ordinance, not a confirmed statewide ban. As described in the AP report, Floyd County officials were considering a measure that would bar animals classified by the state as inherently dangerous. The article reported differing views among neighbors: one expressed fear of the lion, while others defended the family’s right to keep him. Those were individuals’ views, not findings about the enclosure or the animal’s safety.
Collins told the AP, “He’s not bothering nobody.” The remark records the owner’s position at the time; it is not an independent assessment of risk.
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What is known about Kitty’s later fate
The available reporting and official materials do not establish whether Floyd County adopted or enforced the proposed ordinance, whether the family had to move Kitty, or where he ultimately went. The historical account should therefore be read as a report of a 2006 dispute, not as proof of the proposal’s outcome or Kitty’s present status.
What Kentucky law says now
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife says it does not issue permits to hold exotic wildlife within the state. In general, bringing exotic wildlife into Kentucky from another state requires a wildlife transportation permit, and the department says the public may not possess prohibited species. It also cautions that city and county rules can be stricter than state requirements. See the department’s exotic wildlife guidance.
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Current 301 KAR 2:082 lists lions, along with jaguars, leopards, and tigers in the genus Panthera, as inherently dangerous exotic wildlife that people generally may not import, transport, or possess, subject to the regulation’s exceptions.
The pre–July 13, 2005 exception
The regulation provides a life-of-the-animal exception for a person who legally possessed a listed animal in Kentucky before July 13, 2005. The owner must keep veterinary records, acquisition papers, or other evidence establishing that earlier possession. The exception is tied to both lawful possession before the cutoff and supporting evidence; an older animal or a claimed permit alone does not establish eligibility. The regulation’s text.
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The date matters to the Collins account: the AP report placed Kitty’s acquisition at about three years before May 2006, which is after the regulation’s cutoff if that timeline is accurate. The report also said the family had a state permit and county license. The sources do not establish when lawful possession began, what documents the family held, whether an exception applied, or how officials resolved the question. They do not support a legal conclusion about the Collins family’s entitlement to keep Kitty.
Enclosures and institutional exemptions
For prohibited species, the regulation requires enclosures adequate to prevent escape and direct contact with the public. It also sets out exemption routes for specified institutions, including accredited zoos and certain eligible facilities. Eligibility under one of those routes does not show that any particular zoo or sanctuary has the space, authority, or willingness to accept a privately owned lion. 301 KAR 2:082.
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How to understand the story’s legal context
- Separate the eras: Current state guidance describes today’s framework; it does not prove what happened to Kitty or how officials applied the rules in 2006.
- Distinguish state and local rules: State exceptions do not settle whether a county or city ordinance independently restricts possession.
- Look for proof, not just recollection: The state exception turns on qualifying possession before July 13, 2005, and evidence such as veterinary records or acquisition papers.
- Do not assume a transfer destination: The regulation’s institutional exemptions do not establish that an individual facility could or would take the animal.
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