Turlock, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Turlock addresses cats in several parts of its Municipal Code. The household cap in Section 6-1-105 makes it unlawful, absent a kennel permit, to keep 'more than three (3) cats older than six (6) weeks' at any dwelling; kittens under six weeks are not counted. Section 6-1-105(b) prohibits letting any cat (or dog) breed without a Breeder Certificate from Animal Services, with a $500 minimum penalty under Section 6-1-601 for violations. Unlike dogs, cats are not subject to a leash or running-at-large rule in Turlock, and cats are not separately licensed the way dogs are. The most distinctive cat provision is Section 6-1-115 ('Feral cats'), which makes it 'unlawful for any person... to intentionally provide food, water, or other forms of sustenance to a feral cat' unless the feeder signs a statement agreeing to act as a registered caretaker under a trap-neuter-return framework: registering with Animal Services, feeding daily without leaving excess food, regularly trapping and spaying/neutering cats over eight weeks, testing trapped cats for feline leukemia and FIV, ear-tipping them for identification, and vaccinating them for rabies. Cats are also covered by bite procedures: under Section 6-1-312, a cat that bites a person is impounded and quarantined for at least ten days for rabies observation, consistent with California Code of Regulations Title 17, Section 2606. Owners should keep cats from accumulating feces on their property, which is unlawful under Section 6-1-116.