Cecil County, MD Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 142-20C singles cats out of the chapter's restraint duty, meaning a cat does not have to be leashed, fenced, or otherwise physically confined to stay on the owner's property, unlike dogs. Licensing follows the same pattern: §142-30A requires a license only for a dog over four months old, so Cecil County does not operate a cat licensing program at all. Cats are not, however, free of every rule in Chapter 142. Section 142-14B requires every cat over four months old to be immunized against rabies by a licensed veterinarian, and §142-11 requires a cat brought into the County to be accompanied by a veterinarian's rabies certificate within 10 days of arrival, with a shorter-stay exception for cats present less than 30 days.

A commercial cattery, defined in §142-1 as breeding or selling three or more litters of cats within 12 months, must meet the same inspection, veterinary-care-plan, and licensing standards as a commercial dog kennel under §142-24, including a registered microchip for every breeding cat. Because Chapter 142's public-nuisance-animal and cruelty provisions define "animal" broadly, a cat that continually disturbs a neighborhood, damages property, or is neglected or abused can still trigger the chapter's general nuisance and cruelty enforcement even though it is exempt from the restraint section.