Medford, MA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 6-110 defines a "feral cat caretaker" as a person registered with the board of health as caring for feral cats, and lists ten specific duties for anyone seeking that registration. A caretaker must register annually and pay a $25.00 license fee, mark every trap with the caretaker's registration number, and check all set traps at least once daily, or more often in bad weather. Any trapped cat over eight weeks old must be sterilized before release, and every trapped cat must be checked for an existing microchip, with any chip found reported to the animal control officer.

Trapped feral cats must be inoculated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian, and released cats must be made identifiable by removal of the ear tip by a licensed veterinarian. Caretakers must keep health records on trapped cats and colonies available for the animal control officer's inspection, report cat bites or scratches to the inspector of animals, and follow all board of health rules and regulations. This registration is the mechanism that exempts a caretaker from the general feeding ban in Sec. 6-108, since Sec. 6-109 excuses only registered caretakers from that prohibition.

Separately, Sec. 6-106 requires any cat six months or older to be vaccinated against rabies and to wear or have available a rabies tag, though an owner may choose not to affix the tag to the cat itself as long as it stays available for inspection.