BLOOMINGTON - Beginning Jan. 1, cat owners will have to start doing what dog owners have done for years: Take their pets to the vet for a rabies shot.

"It's good public health to require it," said Walt Howe, assistant director of the McLean County Health Department. "We've thought about it for a long time. We're one of the few counties that hasn't required it."

The McLean County Board approved the mandate in June. Besides requiring the shots, owners also will have to register their feline friends with the health department. The registration already is required of dog owners, but who will see another change.

The county is finally ready to comply with a state mandate requiring a lower registration fees for animals that have been spayed or neutered and a higher one for those that aren't, said Bree Davis, public health communications specialist for the health department.

Davis said the change is part of the state's push for responsible pet ownership.

Owners of spayed or neutered felines or canines will be charged $9 for a one-year registration or $25 for three years. Those with animals that haven't had the surgery will be charged $20 for one year or $60 for three years. There are penalties if the registration is not paid within 30 days of the rabies shot.

Dr. David Bussan, a veterinarian with Town & Country Animal Hospital in Normal, supports both of the changes.

"There's such a human and animal health risk with rabies, if you can prevent it, you should," Bussan said. "Rabies in humans is very fatal."

In addition, he said, most animal bites are caused by animals that aren't spayed or neutered.

Dr. Barbara Shelton, a veterinarian at Eastland Companion Animal Hospital in Bloomington, agreed.

"I'm very in favor," she said. "It's protecting the humans who live with the animals. The bigger picture is we don't want people to get rabies."

Shelton said even indoor cats can sneak outside. "You can't ever say they never will," she said.

"Cats are predatory animals," Howe said. "They are more inclined to come into contact with rabies than a dog. They're hunters by nature."

Even indoor cats aren't immune to coming in contact with the deadly disease, he said. Bats, one of the animals that can carry rabies, can get into a house. A cat could eat one without an owner even knowing a bat had come in.

Howe said more than 8,100 McLean County cat owners voluntarily got rabies shots for their felines last year. Because he has no idea how many cats are in the county, he took a conservative approach when considering the financial impact of the new law and only budgeted $65,000 in 2009 revenue.

As far as enforcing the new law, Howe said health department officials won't be knocking on doors. Instead, they will be sure the rules have been followed when they pick up a wandering cat.

While there is the possibility of a $250 fine for not complying with the regulation, Howe said the county will work with cat owners as much as possible. First-time violators may be required only to get their cat vaccinated. The steep fine likely will be applied after multiple situations with the same animal.

"It's up to the discretion of the organization," Howe said.