R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-22-2
This is the official text of R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-22-2, part of Rhode Island’s Gen. Laws — part of the compiled statutory law of Rhode Island, published by the state as "Gen. Laws." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 4-22-2. Definitions.
Official statutory text
For the purposes of this chapter:
(a) At-large means: (1) On the premises of a person other than an owner of the cat, without the consent of an occupant or owner of such premises, or (2) on a public street or highway, on public or private school grounds, or in any other public place, except when under the physical control of an owner.
(b) Feral cat means any wild, unsocialized or untamed cat.
(c) Guardian shall mean a person(s) having the same rights and responsibilities of an owner, and both terms shall be used interchangeably. A guardian shall also mean a person who possesses, has title to or an interest in, harbors or has control, custody or possession of an animal and who is responsible for an animals safety and well being.
(d) Identification means: a traceable form of identification such as (1) a collar and a flat or hanging tag worn by a cat which includes the current name, address and telephone number of the owner, or (2) a rabies vaccination tax, or (3) an ear tag issued by a licensed veterinarian or by a licensed animal shelter or licensed municipal pound, or (4) a registered microchip which is used in conjunction with a visible collar and tag or in conjunction with a faceted, reflective ear stud, or (5) a tag from a licensed animal shelter or licensed municipal pound, or (6) a tattoo registered with the National Dog Registry or other similar national tattoo service, or (7) a cat license issued by a Rhode Island city or town, or (8) a collar incorporating embroidery as a type of information labeling rather than a hanging or flat tag or (9) in the case of feral cats, a tipped or notched ear in conjunction with a microchip or any of the above other forms of identification. The intent is to allow flexibility in the types of identification available for cats and to incorporate other types of cat identification in the future as they are developed.
(e) Impounded cat means any cat released to or under the custody of or control of a licensed animal shelter or licensed municipal pound.
(f) Owner means (1) any person who keeps, has permanent custody, owns, maintains, harbors, provides care or sustenance for, has control or charge of or responsibility for a cat or who permits a cat to habitually be or remain on or be lodged or fed within such persons property or premises, and (2) any refusal to permit any animal control officer to impound such cat shall be deemed evidence of ownership unless ownership of the cat by another party is established.
(g) Person means an individual, firm, jointstock company, partnership, association, private, or municipal corporation, state, commission, political subdivision, a state, any interstate body or the federal government or any agency or subdivision thereof.
(h) Roaming cat means any homeless socialized cat or any stray socialized cat.
(a) At-large means: (1) On the premises of a person other than an owner of the cat, without the consent of an occupant or owner of such premises, or (2) on a public street or highway, on public or private school grounds, or in any other public place, except when under the physical control of an owner.
(b) Feral cat means any wild, unsocialized or untamed cat.
(c) Guardian shall mean a person(s) having the same rights and responsibilities of an owner, and both terms shall be used interchangeably. A guardian shall also mean a person who possesses, has title to or an interest in, harbors or has control, custody or possession of an animal and who is responsible for an animals safety and well being.
(d) Identification means: a traceable form of identification such as (1) a collar and a flat or hanging tag worn by a cat which includes the current name, address and telephone number of the owner, or (2) a rabies vaccination tax, or (3) an ear tag issued by a licensed veterinarian or by a licensed animal shelter or licensed municipal pound, or (4) a registered microchip which is used in conjunction with a visible collar and tag or in conjunction with a faceted, reflective ear stud, or (5) a tag from a licensed animal shelter or licensed municipal pound, or (6) a tattoo registered with the National Dog Registry or other similar national tattoo service, or (7) a cat license issued by a Rhode Island city or town, or (8) a collar incorporating embroidery as a type of information labeling rather than a hanging or flat tag or (9) in the case of feral cats, a tipped or notched ear in conjunction with a microchip or any of the above other forms of identification. The intent is to allow flexibility in the types of identification available for cats and to incorporate other types of cat identification in the future as they are developed.
(e) Impounded cat means any cat released to or under the custody of or control of a licensed animal shelter or licensed municipal pound.
(f) Owner means (1) any person who keeps, has permanent custody, owns, maintains, harbors, provides care or sustenance for, has control or charge of or responsibility for a cat or who permits a cat to habitually be or remain on or be lodged or fed within such persons property or premises, and (2) any refusal to permit any animal control officer to impound such cat shall be deemed evidence of ownership unless ownership of the cat by another party is established.
(g) Person means an individual, firm, jointstock company, partnership, association, private, or municipal corporation, state, commission, political subdivision, a state, any interstate body or the federal government or any agency or subdivision thereof.
(h) Roaming cat means any homeless socialized cat or any stray socialized cat.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Rhode Island?
Find a Rhode Island lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.