Sonora, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Unincorporated Tuolumne County treats cats more lightly than dogs under the Animal Control Ordinance (Ch. 6.04, Ord. 3311, 2017). The code defines a 'cat' as any member of the species Felis catus customarily confined or cultivated as a pet over the age of four months. Unlike dogs, cats are not subject to a county license requirement or a leash/at-large restriction—the 'Control of dogs' and licensing provisions apply specifically to dogs, so there is no county prohibition on cats roaming. However, cats are not unregulated: keeping seven (7) or more cats (or seven or more dogs and cats combined) for more than five weeks in a calendar year makes the premises a 'kennel' (a cat kennel is termed a 'cattery'), which requires a kennel license and appropriate zoning. General animal-welfare and nuisance rules also apply to cats: owners must provide adequate food, water, shelter, and medical care, keep premises sanitary, and not create an animal nuisance, abandon the animal, or leave it in an unattended vehicle under harmful conditions. The county shelter has specific handling rules for cats, including immediate humane euthanasia authority for severely injured, seriously ill, or unweaned newborn cats. There is no county trap-neuter-return ordinance identified in the code; feral cats fall under the general 'feral animal' definition.