Wayne County, NC Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 10-17(a) makes it unlawful for an owner to fail to keep a dog or cat four months of age or older currently inoculated against rabies, and lets the county health director, board of commissioners or state public health veterinarian extend the requirement to other pets during a threatened or existing epidemic. Section 10-17(b) defines a "current" inoculation as two doses given a year apart followed by a booster every three years. Section 10-18 normally requires a metal rabies tag on a collar or harness, but Section 10-19 exempts cats from wearing that tag; instead, the owner must keep the veterinarian-issued rabies vaccination certificate as written proof the cat is currently vaccinated.

If a cat bites someone or shows rabies symptoms, Section 10-20 requires the owner to confine it immediately, report it to the animal control program, and submit to a ten-day quarantine, either at a veterinary hospital, boarding kennel or the county shelter at the owner's expense, or on the owner's own property if animal control confirms a secure, locked fenced yard. A stray cat whose owner cannot be identified may be euthanized and tested for rabies, or held for the same ten-day quarantine at the county shelter under Section 10-20(c).

Wayne County's code has no separate cat-licensing fee, leash requirement or feral-colony program; rabies inoculation and the Section 10-6 nuisance rule are the only cat-specific obligations in this chapter.