R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-22-3

This is the official text of R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-22-3, 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.

§ 4-22-3. Required cat identification.

Official statutory text

It shall be unlawful for any person to be an owner of a cat over three months of age unless the person maintains an identification worn by the cat at all times.

The identification provisions in this law are not applicable to the following:

(a) A cat brought into the state exclusively for the purpose of entering them in a cat show or cat exhibition or for breeding purposes and which does not remain in this state for more than fifteen (15) days and which is not allowed to be at large.

(b) A cat owned by any person who is not a resident of the state and is traveling through the state temporarily and for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days.

(c) A cat temporarily kept by a licensed veterinarian, a licensed kennel, or a licensed animal shelter or a licensed municipal pound who maintain on their premises cats owned by others.

(d) A cat temporarily kept by owners of a licensed pet shop for purposes of sale or by a licensed animal shelter or a licensed municipal pound for purposes of adoption.

(e) A cat kept exclusively indoors or confined in outdoor areas and maintained for pedigreed cat breeding and stud purposes.

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.