Craven County, NC Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Chapter 6, Article IV of the Craven County Code defines who counts as a cat's owner in Section 6-79: anyone who allows or encourages a dog and/or cat to remain on their property for 72 hours by providing food, providing shelter, failing to notify the sheriff of the animal's presence within three days, or consenting to let the animal stay qualifies as the owner or keeper, meaning that regularly feeding a stray or colony cat creates legal responsibility for it under county law. Section 6-86 then requires every dog or cat four months of age or older to have a current rabies vaccination, and the health director or board of commissioners can extend that requirement to other animals to control a threatened or existing rabies epidemic.

Vaccination timing matters too: a first vaccination is effective for one year and a subsequent vaccination for three years under the Section 6-79 definitions. Cats brought into the county from outside, except for exhibition purposes where they stay confined, must be vaccinated within one week of entry and stay confined for two additional weeks afterward unless accompanied by a veterinarian's certificate showing current vaccination. The sheriff and county health director jointly enforce these requirements and may issue citations for noncompliance.