Potentially bitten by stray cat 42 months (3.5 years ago). do i need a rabies shot? i dont remember the cat biting me, and we kept the cat for a few days. it was fine from what i remember. we gave it to a shelter who has no records of it though?

The incubation time for rabies is usually days to weeks. If you do not even remember the cat biting you over 3 years ago, health related anxiety with a component of PTSD is likely, by now you should have forgotten completely the incident. Talk to your doc about your thoughts, you do not need a rabies shot.

You are not at risk from rabies from a bite 42 months ago and do not need any sort of treatment. In the unlikely event that the cat was rabid, even delayed symptoms would appear within a year.

Had the cat transmitted rabies to you 3.5 years ago, you would have been dead for 3.5 years. There is no need to worry about that potential bite.