A Central Valley city is cracking down on people feeding stray cats in public places, fearing the growing feline population could threaten an endangered rabbit found nowhere else in the world.

The Ripon City Council unanimously approved an ordinance amendment Tuesday banning people from feeding feral cats and other stray animals on public property, according to the Manteca Bulletin.

The measure still requires a second reading at the council’s September meeting before taking effect. It aims in part to protect the endangered riparian brush rabbit, whose remaining habitat is confined to areas along the lower Stanislaus and San Joaquin rivers.

Officials have reported a growing number of abandoned cats in Ripon’s parks, including Marvis Stouffer Park near the Stanislaus River and smaller neighborhood parks.

City officials said the stray populations are often sustained by residents feeding them in public places.

The ordinance prohibits people from feeding animals or scattering food, seed or other edible material on public property, including parks, streets, sidewalks and public facilities. Animal control officers carrying out trapping programs are exempt.

Ripon Police Chief Daniel Sauer said city workers and police would initially warn people caught feeding the cats and educate them about the ban, the Bulletin reported.

Those who continue to feed the animals could be hit with a $100 citation.

The cats have raised concerns not only because they prey on wildlife but because unvaccinated and unsterilized stray populations can spread disease to other animals.

The riparian brush rabbit, a smaller relative of the desert cottontail with a dark, grassy-brown coat, was already pushed to the brink after devastating floods swept through the region in January 1997, per the outlet.

The rabbits grow to about 11 to 14 inches long and weigh between 1 and 1.8 pounds as adults.

Some wildlife advocates said the feeding ban may not go far enough to address Ripon’s feral cat problem.

Susan Manning, president of Tri-County Wildlife Care, told People that residents determined to feed the animals could simply do so out of sight and said trapping and neutering the cats would be necessary to control the existing population.

She said protecting the rabbit is about more than saving one endangered species.

“When we lose this rabbit, we lose something that’s really critical to us, which is biodiversity,” she told the outlet.

“Biodiversity helps create clean air and water, which is necessary for all of us to survive and thrive.”