Orange County NC Website
<br /> <br />• Enforcement: As suggested above, there is a concern with making it a code violation and a crime for a <br />cat with a registered microchip to be off of the owner’s property. (Prior experience with violations of <br />this kind in the criminal justice system underscores this concern.) In addition, there is concern with <br />whether addressing microchipped cats off the property of their owner or keeper as a legal violation is a <br />good use of the limited public resources available for animal control and protection. <br />• Scale: During the month of June 2018, for instance, , Animal Control and Protection staff tracked the <br />complaints they received from one person about a cat belonging to another person that was on their <br />property. Only one complaint of this kind was made even though June is one of the busier months of <br />the year for field services as well as animal admissions. Thus, it appears that this issue is not of <br />widespread concern in Orange County. <br /> <br />Furthermore, the ASAB believes that there are remedies available to Ms. McCanna other than amendment of <br />the current Animal Ordinance. One is her Homeowner’s Association, which apparently has covenants in place <br />that restrict dogs as well as cats from being at large and adversely impacting members of the HOA. Another is to <br />trap the cat of concern to her on her own property (using a humane trap) and bringing the cat to Orange County <br />Animal Services, from which it would need to be recovered by its owner for standard fees. <br /> <br />I very much hope that you find this information to be of value, as we very much wish for the BOCC to be aware <br />of the discussions the ASAB has with residents and stakeholders about policy and programmatic matters. Please <br />don’t hesitate to contact me if there is any other information you would find helpful. <br /> <br /> <br />Cc: Maureane Hoffman, MD, Ph.D., Chair, Animal Services Advisory Board <br />Molly Mullins, Ph.D., Vice Chair, Animal Services Advisory Board <br />Anne Marie Tosco, Staff Attorney, Orange County <br />Andi Morgan, Animal Services Assistant Director <br />Irene Phipps, Animal Control Manager, Orange County Animal Services <br /> <br /> <br />