Boulder County's leash and at-large rules apply only to dogs, not cats. Cats are, however, covered by the mandatory rabies rule: Ordinance 2022-8 requires every dog, cat, and ferret to be vaccinated against rabies. A biting cat may be impounded for a 10-day observation.
The control provisions of Ordinance 2022-8 (barking, at-large) reach 'all dogs,' so there is no cat leash or roaming law in unincorporated Boulder County. But Section 3, adopted by the Board of Health, requires the owner of each dog, cat, or ferret to have it inoculated against rabies at three months of age, again one year later, and at most every three years thereafter. A cat that bites a person and breaks the skin may be impounded or home-confined for at least ten days of rabies observation (Section 3(d)). Cats are also protected by the cruelty and minimum-care rules (Sections 8 and 10). Cities may add their own cat licensing.
Failing to keep a cat's rabies vaccination current is a violation of the Board of Health order in Section 3, a petty offense. An unvaccinated biting cat can be impounded for the 10-day observation, and the owner pays all quarantine
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