Maine has one of the few state “cat codes” in the country, and it says less about keeping a found cat than most people expect. Stray cat laws in Maine focus on what animal control officers and shelters must do, not on a set waiting period that turns a stray into your pet.
If you have a cat on your porch or in your car, this article walks you through the rules in plain English. You will see what the statute defines as a stray, what shelters must do, and where local ordinances may add rules of their own.
The state’s rules sit in Title 7, Chapter 720 of the Maine Revised Statutes, with the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry publishing an animal welfare law book that collects them.
Stray Cat Laws in Maine: Quick Answer
Maine law lets you take a stray cat you cannot match to an owner to the animal shelter your municipality designates. Animal control officers can also seize or humanely trap strays and bring them to a shelter or back to a known owner.
Maine’s statutes do not give a “finders keepers” timeline for individuals. The legal clock in the statute applies to shelters, which hold a cat for a set period before they may adopt it out.
| Question | Short Answer |
|---|---|
| Who can take a stray to a shelter? | Anyone who finds one and does not know the owner |
| Can animal control trap strays? | Yes, an animal control officer may seize or humanely trap them |
| Minimum shelter hold, cat without ID | 48 hours (24 hours for feral cats) |
| Hold when the cat has ID | 6 days after the owner is notified |
| Is trespass available against a cat owner? | No, cats are excluded from the animal trespass statute |
Is a Stray Cat Legally Owned or Unowned in Maine?
A stray cat in Maine can still belong to someone. The statute defines a “stray cat” by where it is, not by whether it has a home.
Under Title 7, section 3919, a stray cat is a cat on the premises of a person other than the owner, without the consent of the owner or occupant, on a public street or other public property, except under the physical control of the owner.
That means a pet that wandered off is legally a “stray” for seizure and shelter purposes. Ownership stays with the original owner until it is established otherwise, which is why the law pushes returning a cat to a known owner first.
Stray vs. Feral vs. Community Cats Under Maine Law
Maine’s statutes recognize stray cats and feral cats as different categories, mainly for shelter hold times. A shelter must hold a cat without identification for at least 48 hours, or at least 24 hours for feral cats.
“Community cat” is not a statutory term in Maine. It is the phrase animal welfare groups use for free-roaming cats, often cared for by neighbors. The Maine Federation of Humane Societies uses it in its trap-neuter-return resources.
- Stray: a cat away from its owner, often friendly and used to people.
- Feral: a cat that is not socialized to people and lives outdoors.
- Community cat: an informal label for free-roaming cats, stray or feral, that people feed or manage.
Can You Keep a Stray Cat in Maine?
Maine has no statute that says you may simply keep a stray you find. The law’s route for a finder is to take the cat to the municipal shelter, and shelters then handle the cat as a homeless cat after the hold period.
If you want to adopt the cat you found, the safest path is to work through the shelter or your town’s animal control officer. That protects you if an owner shows up later and gives you paperwork showing how you came to have the cat.
Pro Tip: Ask the shelter whether you can be listed as the preferred adopter when you bring the cat in. Policies vary by shelter, so ask before you hand the cat over.
How Long Before a Stray Cat Is Legally Yours in Maine?
No fixed number of days makes a found cat yours under Maine’s cat statutes. The timelines in the law apply to shelters, not to individual finders.
For a cat with identification, ownership vests with the animal shelter once the 6-day period expires, and the shelter can then treat the cat as homeless. For a cat without identification, the shelter must hold it at least 48 hours first. After that, the shelter may offer the cat for adoption.
Are You Required to Look for the Owner of a Stray Cat in Maine?
The statute does not order a private finder to run a search. It does tell the person finding a stray cat who “does not know the owner or residence” that the shelter route is available.
Looking for the owner is still the right move. Check the cat for a collar or tag, ask nearby neighbors, post on local lost-pet pages, and have a vet or shelter scan for a microchip. Doing so protects you if the owner appears later.
What to Do When You Find a Stray Cat in Maine
- Check for a collar, tag, or tattoo, and keep the cat safely contained.
- Have the cat scanned for a microchip at a vet clinic or shelter.
- Photograph the cat and note where and when you found it.
- Ask neighbors and post in local lost-pet groups.
- Contact your town’s animal control officer or designated shelter.
- If no owner appears, talk to the shelter about adoption.
Keep a feral-looking cat out of your hands. If a cat is hissing, hiding, or will not approach, it may be feral, and trapping it in a humane trap and contacting a TNR group is safer for you and the cat.
Does Maine Law Require Reporting a Found Cat to Animal Control or Police?
Maine’s statute does not require a private finder to report a found cat to police or animal control. It allows you to take the cat to the designated shelter, and it allows an animal control officer to take the cat to a shelter or the owner.
Reporting is still smart. Owners usually call their local animal control officer or shelter first when a cat goes missing, so a report creates the match that gets a cat home. Your municipal office can tell you which shelter your town uses.
Stray Cat Holding Periods at Maine Shelters
The holding periods come straight from Title 7, section 3919-A. They depend on whether the cat has identification and whether it is feral.
| Cat Type | What the Shelter Must Do |
|---|---|
| Cat with identification | Make a reasonable attempt to notify the owner by phone or written notice within 24 hours of accepting the cat; ownership vests in the shelter after 6 days |
| Cat without identification | Hold at least 48 hours before treating it as homeless |
| Feral cat without identification | Hold at least 24 hours |
After the hold, the shelter may offer the cat for adoption, sell or give it away, or humanely dispose of it under Title 17. The statute also bars a shelter from selling or giving a cat to a research facility.
Each shelter may keep cats longer than the legal minimum. These are floors, not targets.
Will Animal Control Pick Up a Stray Cat in Maine?
Animal control officers have the authority to pick up strays. Under section 3919, an animal control officer or person acting in that capacity may seize or humanely trap a stray cat or small animal and deliver it to an animal shelter or to the owner, if the owner is known.
“May” is the key word. Whether an officer responds to a call about a healthy cat depends on the town’s staffing and contract with a shelter. Call your municipal office to learn what your town does.
Rabies Vaccination, Licensing and Microchip Rules for Stray Cats in Maine
Maine’s cat code includes a rabies vaccination requirement for owned cats. A humane agent, an animal control officer or a law enforcement officer may ask an owner or keeper of a cat or dog to present proof of a state rabies vaccination certificate.
Shelters get an exception. An animal shelter operated by a nonprofit is not required to vaccinate an abandoned or stray cat or dog it receives. That means a cat you adopt from a shelter may not yet be vaccinated, so schedule a vet visit.
The statute does not set a state cat license or require a microchip for strays. A microchip is still the fastest way to reunite a lost cat with its owner, and some towns have their own rules, so check with your municipal office.
Is It Illegal to Feed Stray Cats in Maine?
Maine’s state statutes do not prohibit feeding stray cats. Feeding is common among community cat caregivers, and groups like the Animal Welfare Society describe regular food and water as part of how caretakers support colonies.
Local rules can differ. A town ordinance, a lease, or a homeowners’ association could limit outdoor feeding, so check those before you start.
Do Maine Laws Make You Responsible for a Stray Cat You Feed?
The state cat code does not say that feeding a stray makes you its legal owner. It also does not set a standard for when a regular feeder becomes a keeper.
The sterilization program, though, does use the word “keeper.” A person is eligible to have a stray animal or feral cat sterilized under the program if the person is the keeper of that animal. If you care for a cat regularly, you may qualify to use state-supported spay and neuter services.
Regular feeding can still create practical responsibility. If a cat you feed is hurt or causes a complaint, a local officer may look to you first, so keep colonies fixed and healthy.
Trap-Neuter-Return Laws for Stray and Community Cats in Maine
Maine does not have a statute that specifically legalizes or regulates TNR by that name. The law does recognize the work, though. It defines “population control effort” to include trapping, neutering and vaccinating feral cats.
The state also runs a Companion Animal Sterilization Program. It is designed to provide sterilization services to reduce stray and unwanted cats and dogs, among other goals. The program is run through the Animal Welfare Program at the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
Nonprofit clinics offer practical help too. The Animal Welfare Society says its clinic offers services at no cost for feral and free roaming cats trapped in Maine, and it loans out humane traps.
Pro Tip: Bring feral cats to a spay/neuter clinic in a humane trap, not a carrier. Clinics typically require it, and the Animal Welfare Society lists this as a rule for its feral program.
Is Abandoning a Cat Illegal in Maine?
Yes, abandonment falls under Maine’s animal cruelty and neglect laws, which are separate from the stray cat statute. The state’s cruelty provisions sit in Title 17 and Title 7, and the Department’s Animal Welfare Program takes complaints.
To report cruelty or neglect during business hours, the office takes calls Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4:00 pm. You can reach it at (207) 287-3846 or animal.welfare@maine.gov.
If you can no longer keep a cat, surrender it to a shelter or rescue instead of leaving it outdoors. That protects you from legal risk and gives the cat a chance at adoption.
Can Neighbors Complain About Stray Cats in Maine? (Nuisance and Property Damage)
Neighbors can complain, but Maine’s remedies are narrower than for dogs. Cats are excluded from the animal trespass statute, so an owner’s roaming cat is not trespass under that law. A neighbor’s cat in your yard is generally a nuisance and local ordinance question.
That does not leave you with nothing. Local ordinances, small claims court, and nuisance principles may still apply, and you can call your animal control officer for a cat that fits the stray definition.
For other animal complaints in your town, see our guide to barking dog laws in Maine, which shows how local nuisance rules tend to work.
Can You Trap, Relocate or Remove Stray Cats in Maine?
The statute gives trapping authority to animal control officers: they may seize or humanely trap a stray cat. A private person is allowed to take a found stray to the designated shelter.
Be careful about trapping a cat you think is a stray. It may be someone’s pet, and harming or dumping it could bring cruelty or abandonment problems. Use a humane trap only, check it often, and contact your animal control officer or shelter right away.
Do not relocate cats to a new area on your own. Moving a cat away from its territory can leave it without food and shelter, and it is not a recognized fix. TNR groups return cats to where they were trapped.
Stray Cat Laws by City and County in Maine
Maine is a “home rule” state where towns and cities can adopt their own animal ordinances, so rules on cat licensing, feeding, and leash or containment can differ by municipality. The state law sets the baseline for shelters and animal control, and your town may add to it.
Your town office or municipal clerk can tell you three things: which shelter your town designates, who your animal control officer is, and whether any local cat ordinance exists.
Other Maine animal topics on this site show how state and local rules fit together, including estray livestock laws in Maine and pet import laws in Maine.
Who Can Reclaim a Stray Cat in Maine, and Can the Owner Sue You?
The original owner can reclaim a cat. When a shelter takes in a cat with identification, it must try to notify the owner, and the owner has a 6-day window before ownership vests in the shelter.
If you keep a cat you know belongs to someone else, you risk a civil dispute and possibly more. Going through the shelter or animal control officer is the cleanest way to show you acted in good faith.
Disputes over who keeps an animal are covered in our article on pet custody laws in Maine, which is useful if an owner comes forward after you adopt.
Stray Cat Laws in Maine FAQs
Can I take a stray cat to a vet in Maine?
Yes. A vet can scan for a microchip and check the cat’s health. Vets may ask who will pay for care, so call ahead.
How long does a shelter have to hold a stray cat in Maine?
At least 48 hours for a cat without identification and at least 24 hours for a feral cat. A cat with identification has a 6-day period before ownership vests in the shelter.
Can I be charged for keeping a found cat?
The cat statute does not set a penalty for a finder who keeps a cat. If the cat belongs to someone, a civil claim by the owner is possible, so use the shelter process.
Does Maine require cats to be licensed?
The state cat statutes do not create a state cat license. Some towns may have their own rules, so check with your municipal office.
Where can I get a feral cat fixed in Maine?
Start with the state’s Animal Welfare Program and local nonprofit clinics. The Animal Welfare Society and Maine TNR groups offer feral cat spay/neuter services.
For other animal-law questions in Maine, our guides on puppy mill laws and pet lemon laws cover related ground.