Michigan does not require cats to be licensed, and Macomb County has no cat leash law. The county runs a Trap-Neuter-Return program for community cats, whose caregivers must sterilize, vaccinate, and ear-tip the cats and follow feeding-station rules.
Unlike dogs, cats are not required to be licensed under Michigan law, and the county's licensing rules (Best Practices Article V) apply only to dogs four months and older. The county's preferred method for managing free-roaming cats is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR): trapping community cats, sterilizing, ear-tipping, and vaccinating them against rabies before returning them to their territory. Under Section 8.8, all community cats must be sterilized, ear-tipped, and vaccinated; colonies kept on private property with permission; feeding areas and shelters may not be within 30 feet of a residential or commercial structure; and food set out only between dawn and dusk, never overnight. An ear-tipped cat received by Animal Control is returned where trapped with no hold period.
Feeding a colony too close to a structure, leaving food out overnight, or maintaining a colony without property-owner permission violates Section 8.8 (misdemeanor). Trapping community cats for reasons other than TNR, except injured cats needing care, is prohibited.
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