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HB348 • 2026

RELEASE OF FERAL CATS

An Act relating to feral cats.

Land
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE
Last action
2026-02-23
Official status
(H) CRA
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Rules for Releasing Feral Cats in Alaska

This law allows people to return specific types of feral cats, called community cats, to the land where they were found without breaking animal ownership rules.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows a person to release a community cat on land if the landowner agrees and the cat was originally taken from that land.
  • Exempts the person releasing the cat from state and city laws about owning or caring for domestic animals.
  • States that returning these cats does not count as abandoning them.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who catch, treat, and release feral cats
  • State, city, and private landowners whose property is used for releases

Terms To Know

community cat
A feral cat that has a rabies vaccine, had its left ear tip removed, and was spayed or neutered.
feral cat
An unowned domestic cat living in the wild that is not used to being around people.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies if the landowner gives permission for the release.
  • The text does not say when this bill will officially become active or take effect.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-23 1688

    (H) REFERRED TO COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

  2. 2026-02-23 1688

    (H) CRA, RES

  3. 2026-02-23 1688

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

RELEASE OF FERAL CATS
An Act relating to feral cats.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB0348a -1- HB 348
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS1390\N

HOUSE BILL NO. 348

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE

Introduced: 2/23/26
Referred: Community and Regional Affairs, Resources

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to feral cats." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 03.55 is amended by adding new sections to read: 3
Article 1A. Cats. 4
Sec. 03.55.080. Feral cats. (a) Subject to the approval of the landowner, a 5
person may release a community cat on land from which the cat was originally taken. 6
(b) A person who releases a community cat under this section is exempt from 7
state and municipal requirements applicable to ownership and care of domestic 8
animals and the release of a community cat under (a) of this section does not constitute 9
abandonment. 10
Sec. 03.55.095. Definitions. In AS 03.55.080 - 03.55.095, 11
(1) "community cat" means a feral cat that has been vaccinated for 12
rabies, has had its left ear tip removed, and has been spayed or neutered; 13
(2) "feral cat" means an unowned domestic cat living in a wild state 14
that is unsocialized for domestic human environments; 15
34-LS1390\N
HB 348 -2- HB0348a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

(3) "landowner" includes state, municipal, and private landowners. 1
* Sec. 2. AS 16.05.930 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 2
(h) This chapter does not prohibit the release of a community cat as allowed 3
under AS 03.55.080. 4