Question
My son's emotional support animal got out. I was told that some people in a neighborhood in the area where she was last seen are known for taking in strays and keeping them. If you question them they will knowingly lie about having or seeing your cat. Is this illegal?
Answer
It is one thing to rescue a stray animal (not theft) and another to lie about it when a possible “owner” comes forward. People should contact the police if they believe their pet was stolen. Pet theft is illegal and some states have specific laws banning pet theft. Pet theft is illegal even when there is not a specific pet theft law (since animals are generally considered property and it is illegal to steal another person’s property). North Carolina’s law states: “If any person shall unlawfully take and carry away any horse, gelding, mare, mule, or dog, the property of another person, secretly and against the will of the owner of such property, with intent to deprive the owner of the special or temporary use of the same, or with the intent to use such property for a special or temporary purpose, the person so offending shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.” In some areas of the country, people who take in a stray animal are required to contact authorities to file a found report or take the animal to a shelter (this gives the animal’s “owner” an opportunity to redeem his/her lost pet). In addition to animal control and municipal shelters, the police and humane societies sometimes maintain lost and found animal reports.
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