1. Home
  2. County Services
  3. Emergency Services
  4. Animal Services
  5. Animal Cruelty

Contact Information

  • Catawba County Animal Control
  • (828) 466-6814
  • (828) 465-8919
  • Contact via email
  • Main Location:201 Government Services Drive Newton, NC 28658
  • Hours:Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Animal Cruelty Hotline: (828) 465-7945
  • Animal Cruelty Email

Animal Cruelty

Animal Cruelty Hotline: (828) 465-7945

In Catawba County, all animals should be kept and treated in sanitary and humane conditions. It is illegal to torment, abuse, or torture an animal, and suspected cases of animal cruelty should be reported.

Examples of animal cruelty include the following:

  • Allowing a collar, rope or chain to become embedded in or cause injury to an animal's neck.
  • Allowing a choke or pinch collar to be used as a primary collar when the animal is left unsupervised.
  • Allowing a dog or cat to be left outside in inclement weather or extreme temperatures without adequate shelter.
  • Animals being confined to or restrained on the premises of a vacant or abandoned structure.

Failure to provide adequate drainage to prevent surface water from standing in the area where the animal is kept or restrained.

For more specific information about what constitutes animal cruelty, visit the County’s Animal Services Ordinances.

Animal Cruelty Hotline & Online Reporting Form

If you believe an animal is being mistreated, call our Animal Cruelty Hotline at (828) 465-7945 or submit a report online. Callers are encouraged to leave a detailed message with information about the situation they observed, the address where it occurred, and their contact information for follow up. Animal Services staff will investigate the report and follow up with callers to let them know their call has been received and addressed.