Cats are not required to be licensed in unincorporated San Benito County, but they must have a current rabies vaccination. There is no cat leash law. Like dogs, cats count toward household animal limits under the County Zoning Code, and a cat that bites is subject to California's rabies-quarantine rules.
San Benito County treats cats more lightly than dogs. According to San Benito County / Hollister Animal Care & Services, cats are not required to be licensed in the unincorporated county (or in the City of Hollister), but they are required to have a current rabies vaccination. There is no cat-specific leash or confinement law equivalent to the dog at-large rule. Cats still count toward the number of household animals a parcel may keep under the County Zoning Code's animal-keeping section (25.08.013), so a home with many cats may exceed the residential allowance or trigger cattery-permit requirements. If a cat bites a person, California Health & Safety Code Chapter 1 (Rabies Control), Sections 121575-121710, governs the quarantine and observation process, which Animal Care & Services administers. Owners are also bound by California's animal-cruelty and care standards regardless of licensing. Residents who feed or shelter free-roaming or feral cats should be mindful of the household animal limits and of nuisance and cruelty rules.
There is no cat license to violate, but keeping a cat without a current rabies vaccination, exceeding the parcel's animal limit, or operating an unpermitted cattery can be cited. A biting cat is subject to mandatory rabies quarantine under state law.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how San Benito County's cat rules rules stack up against other locations.
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