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

Chapter 4, Article I of the Nash County Code of Ordinances governs animal control in the unincorporated county; municipalities like Rocky Mount and Nashville enforce their own animal ordinances. Sec. 4-7(a) makes it unlawful for any owner or keeper to permit an animal, cats included, to be at large, and directs the Animal Control Section to confiscate and impound a loose animal at the Nash County Animal Shelter. Sec. 4-7(d) adds a cat-specific duty: an owner of a female cat (or dog) must restrain her in an enclosure during her estrous period so she cannot come into contact with a male of her species; intentional breeding on the owner's own premises is not prohibited.

There is no separate cat licensing scheme. Instead, Sec. 4-29 requires every dog and cat four months of age or older to carry a current rabies vaccination, administered by a licensed veterinarian and renewed at one year, then every three years, with written proof producible on Animal Control's request under Sec. 4-30(d). A cat picked up at large is impounded under Sec. 4-42 and posted for a minimum of three business days under Sec. 4-43; the owner may reclaim it under Sec. 00 reclaim fee.

An unredeemed cat may be destroyed or offered for adoption under Sec. 00 sterilization deposit, refunded once proof of sterilization is filed. This chapter applies only outside any municipality's territorial jurisdiction under Sec. 4-50.