Walton County, GA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Because the definition of 'domesticated animal' in Section 10-1 covers cats along with dogs, the general restraint duty in Sections 10-3 and 10-4 and the at-large prohibition apply to cats exactly as they do to dogs; there is no cats-only exemption for roaming. Section 10-8(a)(6) singles out one cat-specific nuisance trigger: an 'in-heat female dog or cat that is at large' is automatically a public nuisance animal, which under Section 10-8(b) requires the owner to have the animal spayed or neutered within 30 days at the owner's expense, on top of any other penalty.

Rabies vaccination is mandatory under Section 10-13(a) for 'a dog or cat four months of age or older,' with revaccination required within 10 to 12 months of the first shot and then, once an animal has had at least two vaccinations spaced 10 to 12 months apart, extended to a three-year schedule if a three-year vaccine is used. Section 10-15(b) further requires every cat kept in the county to wear a current vaccination tag affixed to its collar or harness at all times. Feral or free-roaming cat colonies get no separate carve-out in the chapter: a colony cat picked up loose is handled through the same impoundment and holding-period rules in Section 10-7 that apply to any at-large animal, with a 72-hour hold if untagged or 168 hours if tagged or chipped.