Cayuga County, NY Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum age covered
- 4 months or older
- First offense fine
- Up to $250
- Repeat offense (3-year window)
- $250 fine plus up to 15 days jail
- Adopted
- 4-24-2001 by L.L. No. 4-2001
- Enforcing officers
- Dog control, peace, police or health officer
Summary
Cayuga County requires every cat four months or older to be vaccinated against rabies, going beyond the weaker state requirement the County Legislature found difficult to enforce. Owners who refuse to present a cat for vaccination on request face a fine of up to $250, doubling for repeat violations within three years.
Unless a dog, cat or ferret owner qualifies under one of the exceptions set forth in § 125-3 of this article set forth hereafter, any dog, cat or ferret owner who is a resident of Cayuga County who willfully fails or refuses to submit a dog, cat or ferret four months of age or over immediately for vaccination against rabies upon request by a dog control officer, a peace officer, police officer or health officer shall be guilty of a violation and shall be subject to a maximum fine of not more than $250. In the case of a second or subsequent violation within a three-year period, in addition to the $250 fine for each violation, the defendant may be given up to 15 days in jail.
Full Breakdown
Under Code of Cayuga County Article I of Chapter 125, adopted by the County Legislature to strengthen New York's rabies immunization law, any Cayuga County resident who owns a cat, dog, or ferret four months of age or older must submit the animal for rabies vaccination immediately upon request by a dog control officer, peace officer, police officer, or health officer. The Legislature's stated intent, recorded in Section 125-1, is that rabies is fatal in humans absent expensive treatment, most human exposure comes from domestic animal bites, and some cat and dog owners were refusing to comply with the weaker state vaccination law, prompting the County to adopt its own stricter local rule.
Section 125-3 exempts a nonresident's confined animal passing through the county, an animal brought in for up to 10 days for a bona fide show while confined and supervised by its exhibitor, animals confined at an incorporated shelter, veterinary hospital, or research institution, animals confined at a licensed Class A federal dealer's breeding premises, and animals whose owner provides a licensed veterinarian's statement that vaccination would endanger the animal because of old age or another medical reason. There is no separate county cat-licensing or feral-colony registration scheme in the code; enforcement is built entirely around the vaccination mandate and its penalty.
Violations & Fines
Willfully failing or refusing to submit a cat for rabies vaccination on request is a violation punishable by a fine of up to $250. A second or subsequent violation within a three-year period carries the $250 fine again plus up to 15 days in jail, per Section 125-2.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cayuga County require cats to be licensed?
What happens if I refuse to vaccinate my cat when asked?
Are any cats exempt from the vaccination requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cayuga County
New York rules heatmap·Compare Cayuga County to another location·View the New York animal ordinances overview
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