North Carolina
Pet owners in North Carolina town will be fined if cats are unleashed
A North Carolina town is cracking down on free-roaming cats, warning pet owners to keep their kitties on leashes outside, or face fines.
Cary, North Carolina — a town of 176,000 people located in suburban Raleigh — has had an ordinance on the books for more than half a century requiring all domestic pets, including cats, to be leashed whenever off their owner’s property.
Similar rules exist in other Wake County towns and cities throughout the state.
But Cary’s leash law caused a stir on social media earlier this week after the town’s Animal Services reminded residents on its Facebook page that “cats must be leashed when not on their owner’s property.”
The local agency listed some of the risks of allowing cats to run wild, including the fact that the popular pets kill an astonishing amount of birds each year, are the number one predator for small mammals and can transmit diseases to wildlife and humans alike.
“The safest thing to do for an outdoor cat is to teach it to be a house cat,” Animal Services maintained. “Indoor cats generally live longer, will not be struck by cars or risk injury from other animals.”
Tens of thousands of homes in Cary have at least one cat. Every year, Animal Services receives about 1,000 calls about stray or feral cats or litters of kittens, supervisor Chuck Haggist told News & Observer.
“For cats, they don’t have to be on a leash on your property but once they step onto a neighbor’s property down the road, that’s where the issue comes in,” Haggist said.
Owners caught violating the leash rule can face fines ranging from $20 to $250, depending on the number of offenses.
On the fifth offense, a cat caught walking around without a leash could be seized and taken to a shelter, from which it would have to be reclaimed by its owner for a fee.
Haggist said that while his agency is not actively looking for unleashed cats, it urges pet owners to understand the dangers for the cats themselves and for those around them.
“Coyotes are killing cats; there’s hawks, owls,” Haggist said. “The lifespan of an outdoor cat is about half of an indoor cat.”
Despite their relatively small size, cats are highly skilled predators that hunt birds, lizards and other small critters.
The American Bird Conservancy has previously said that cats kill an estimated 2.4 billion birds in the US alone each year.
Cat owners have the option of building outdoor enclosures, dubbed “catios,” to keep their curious kitties confined to their property while enjoying nature, or install invisible fences like the ones commonly used for dogs.
Not everyone in Cary, however, is on board with the cat crackdown.
In 2019, a resident — who pointed out that he does not own a cat — started an online petition, calling on the Cary Town Council to repeal the leash ordinance because “it is antithetical to the nature of cats to be on a leash.”
The Change.org petition has been signed by 267 like-minded cat lovers.
Friends and family members gathered in Washington state on Saturday, remembering former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett, who died on Easter Sunday. Another memorial service is planned in North Carolina next month.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
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Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | First Quarter
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | Q1 8:19
After a faceoff win by Henry Metz, Brendan Millon finds Truitt Sunderland to give the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Timeout North Carolina.
Virginia 2, North Carolina 0 | Q1 9:00
Brendan Millon gets the scoring started for the Cavaliers with a question mark style goal. On the defensive end, Jake Marek opens the game with three early saves with his third save setting up a transition goal by Tommy Snyder.
Virginia vs North Carolina pregame notes
UVA owns a 59-33 advantage since the series began in 1938.
The 59 wins are UVA’s most against any opponent in program history (followed by 51 against Duke).
In Chapel Hill last year, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers 18-9, snapping UVA’s six-game series win streak.
UVA has won nine of the last 11 meetings, dating back to 2018.
The Hoos have won the last two meetings with Carolina at Klöckner Stadium, 11-4 in 2022 and 14-6 in 2024.
The Tar Heels’ four goals in 2022 marked the fewest goals in a game under Joe Breschi, who was named UNC’s head coach in 2006.
The last time the Tar Heels knocked off the Cavaliers at Klöckner was a 16-13 decision during the first of three games between the two teams in 2021.
Later that year, UVA claimed back-to-back meetings against the Heels, including in the NCAA semifinals on the way to capturing the 2021 national title over Maryland.
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HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Fire crews are responding to a brush fire near Howard Gap Road in Hendersonville on Friday evening.
The fire is across the street from the Ebenezer Baptist Church and near the Highlands Square Shopping Center.
Henderson County Fire Marshal Glen Gillette said crews are fighting “blowdown from Helene.”
NEW WILDFIRES IGNITE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA FOREST AMID WORSENING DROUGHT
Around 11 p.m., the fire appears larger than it did an hour ago because crews are backburning, which refers to using fire to help control the wildfire.
Dana Fire Department Chief Jimmy Womack said that what was a 3-acre fire an hour ago will be an 8-acre fire due to back burning. He said the fire is 80% contained.
Womack said the cause of the fire is unknown, but one of the conditions contributing to the blaze is the Helene blowdown.
“There’s a lot of blowdown in these woods behind us. That’s what creates most of the problem,” said Womack.
Womack said there has been no property damage and no injuries have been reported for this fire in the woods that 24 personnel are fighting. They got the call to arrive at 6:05 p.m.
LOCAL NEWS
Dana Fire and Rescue and Henderson County Fire Department are supporting the U.S. Forest Service with this fire.
Glen said no structures are threatened at this time and Howard Gap Road is closed.
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This story will be updated as new information is discovered.
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