[Adopted by Ord. No. 1990-14 (§§ 8A-1 through 8A-4 of the 1972 Ocean Codified
Ordinances); amended in its entirety 7-13-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-7]
As used in this article of the Code of the Township of Ocean,
in the County of Ocean, and State of New Jersey, unless a different
meaning clearly appears from the context, the following words shall
have the following meanings:
An owner or caregiver has forsaken a domesticated cat entirely,
or has neglected or refused to provide care and support to the cat.
For the purpose of this article, "animal" shall mean cat.
Any person employed or appointed by the Township who is authorized
to investigate violations of laws and regulations concerning animals,
and to issue citations in accordance with New Jersey law and this
Code.
Any person who provides food, water or shelter to or otherwise
cares for a cat or cats.
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female or
altered.
Any cat which has attained the age of six months.
A cat that is socialized to humans and is appropriate as
a companion for humans.
A tagged, notched or tipped left ear as performed by a licensed
veterinarian.
A cat that is not socialized to humans and is not appropriate
as a companion for humans.
A group of cats that congregates, more or less, together
as a unit. Although not every cat in a colony may be feral, any nonferal
cats that congregate with a colony shall be deemed to be a part of
it.
The agency or department of the Township of Ocean Board of
Health or any designated representative thereof charged by the Board
with administering the issuance and/or revocation of permits and licenses
under the provisions of this article.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
Shall include, but not be limited to, disturbing the peace
by:
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat, includes every
person having a right of property (or custody) in such cat and every
person who has such cat in his or her keeping or who harbors or maintains
a cat or knowingly permits a cat to remain on or about any premises
occupied by that person and includes any person, firm, corporation,
partnership, association, trust, estate or any other legal entity.
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
Each and every cat in the Township of Ocean shall be duly licensed
and shall bear evidence of such license at all times by wearing a
collar or other device such that a metal disc may be attached thereto,
which disc shall bear the name of Ocean Township, the year and license
number and which disc shall be affixed to the animal at all times.
A.Â
Fees.
(1)Â
One-year license. The persons applying for the license and registration
tag shall pay a fee of $12 for the registration tag for each cat that
has been spayed or neutered; and an additional charge of $3 for each
cat that is neither spayed nor neutered. Said fee shall be retained
by the Township of Ocean, in a dedicated fund known as the "Cat Trust
Fund," except for any part thereof which represents a registration
or other fee that must be forwarded to the State of New Jersey, pursuant
to law. With the passage of this subsection, the fees will be $12
if the cat is spayed or neutered and $15 if they are not.
B.Â
Persons who fail to obtain a license as required within 45 days of
the enactment of this article will be subject to a delinquent fee
of $5 per month and shall be a violator of this article.
C.Â
Thereafter, licenses shall be secured within 30 days of January 1
each year.
A.Â
Every owner of a cat over six months of age shall have his cat inoculated
with rabies vaccine of a type approved by and administered in accordance
with the recommendations of the United States Department of Agriculture,
the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare or the
New Jersey Department of Health. Such vaccination shall be repeated
annually or at such intervals as provided by regulations of the State
Department of Health and shall be administered by a duly licensed
veterinarian or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do
the same.
B.Â
Any cat may be exempted from the requirement of such vaccination
for a specified period of time by the Board of Health or its agent
upon the presentation of a certificate from a duly licensed veterinarian
stating that, by reason of age, infirmity or other physical condition,
the vaccination of such cat for such specified period of time is contraindicated.
C.Â
It is further provided that nothing herein contained shall be deemed
to require the vaccination of any cats located in and confined to
duly recognized and licensed boarding facilities, pet shops, shelters,
or veterinary hospitals.
The owner of any cat vaccinated against rabies shall obtain
from the veterinarian who vaccinates said cat a certificate in form
identical to those used for dogs or a standard immunization certificate
in use by the licensed veterinarian of this or any other state or
country and shall, within 10 days after bringing the cat into the
Township of Ocean, deliver said certificate to the Board of Health
or its agent and obtain a license as set forth herein.
Whenever the Township of Ocean has reason to believe or has
been notified by the State Department of Health that there is a danger
that rabies may spread within the Township, the Board of Health or
any officer, inspector or agent thereof may serve a notice, in writing,
upon all persons within the Township owning or having charge of any
cat or other animal, so far as the same may be known, requiring such
person to confine such cat or other animal. In lieu of serving such
written notice, the Board of Health may cause a notice to be published
in the official newspaper of the Township. Any person owning or in
charge of a cat or other animal which is subject to such notice and
who does not comply with the orders and instructions of such notice
shall be considered a violator.
Any person, whether an owner or custodian of a cat, who is convicted
of a violation of any of the provisions of this article shall be,
upon conviction of any of the provisions hereof, subject to a fine
or penalty of at least a minimum fine of $35, but not to exceed $500
or imprisonment in the common jail of the County of Ocean for a term
not exceeding 30 days, or both, at the discretion of the Magistrate
before whom such conviction is had.
The Township Clerk or his/her assignee is hereby appointed to
annually cause a canvass to be made of all cats owned, kept and harbored
within the limits of the Township.
The Animal Control Officer, and/or his agents, shall be responsible
for enforcing this article and shall issue a summons or complaint
to all persons in violation of any of the provisions of this article.
Any resident of the Township of Ocean may obtain from the Township
Animal Control Officer animal cages for the catching and restraining
of animals when said cages are available. Said resident shall deposit
with the Animal Control Officer a check in the amount of $50 per cage
payable to Animal Control Officer to ensure the return of said cage;
said deposit shall be returned to the resident upon the return of
said cage; residents shall be assessed a fee of $1 per day payable
to Ocean Township.
No person keeping, harboring or in charge of any dog, cat or
other animal shall cause, suffer or allow such dog, cat or other animal
to soil, defile, deface or defecate on, or commit any nuisance on
any public or private property, including but not limited to any common
thoroughfare, sidewalk, passageway, by-path, play area, park or any
place where people congregate or walk. The aforesaid restrictions
shall apply to those persons who shall comply with the following:
A.Â
The person in charge of such dog, cat or other animal who is in violation
of this article shall immediately remove all feces deposited by such
animal in a sanitary method approved by the Board of Health.
B.Â
The feces removed from the aforementioned designated area shall be
disposed of by the person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge
of any dog, cat or other animal.
Owners of domesticated cats shall:
A.Â
Provide appropriate and adequate food, water and shelter for their
cats, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:22-26;
B.Â
Exercise reasonable care to guard against the cat creating a nuisance;
C.Â
Not permit a sexually intact (not spayed or neutered) domesticated
cat to roam unsupervised; and
D.Â
Not abandon a domesticated cat, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:22-6.
Feral cat colonies shall be permitted, and caregivers shall
be required to maintain them in accordance with the terms and conditions
of this section.
A.Â
Management of feral cats.
(1)Â
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this article, this section
is intended to govern all matters which relate to the management of
feral cats.
(2)Â
For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have
the meaning set forth in this section. When not inconsistent with
the context, words used in the present tense include the future, words
in the plural number include the singular, words in the singular number
include the plural, and words in the male gender include the female
gender.
B.Â
Feral cat caregiver responsibilities. Caregivers are responsible
for the following:
(1)Â
Taking steps that are reasonably likely to result in the vaccinations
of the colony population for rabies, and making reasonable efforts
to update the vaccinations on cats that can be recaptured;
(2)Â
Taking steps that are reasonably likely to result in the spay/neuter
of 100% of a colony population. Procedures are to be done by a recognized
veterinarian;
(3)Â
Providing the description of each cat in the colony and copies of
documents evidencing that the cats have been vaccinated and spayed/neutered;
(4)Â
Providing food, water and, if feasible, shelter for colony cats;
(5)Â
Observing the colony cats at least twice per week and keeping a record
of any illness or unusual behavior noticed in any colony cats;
(6)Â
Obtaining the approval of the owner of any property to which the
caregiver requires access to provide colony care;
(7)Â
In the event that kittens are born to a colony cat, the caregiver
shall take reasonable steps likely to result in the removal of the
kittens from the colony after they have been weaned, and the placement
of the kittens in homes or foster homes for the purpose of subsequent
permanent placement;
(8)Â
Obtaining proper medical attention to any colony cat that appears
to require it.
C.Â
Colony cat requirements.
D.Â
Disposition of colony cats.
(1)Â
An Animal Control Officer who has trapped a cat whose left ear has
been ear marked, or which bears some other distinguishing mark indicating
that it belongs to a feral cat colony, shall scan the cat for an EAID.
If an EAID is found, the officer shall be responsible for contacting
the sponsor or other person named as owner of the cat.
(2)Â
If the owner or sponsor is not able to immediately take custody of
the cat, the officer shall return the cat to the appropriate colony.
(3)Â
If the cat does not have an EAID, and the cat is obviously a domestic
cat, then the Animal Control Officer shall arrange for care for the
cat until the owner is located and may determine the disposition of
the cat in those circumstances where the domestic cat's owner
cannot be located.
E.Â
Enforcement. The Township shall have the following rights:
(1)Â
The right to seize or remove cats from a colony that have not been
vaccinated against rabies and which are demonstrating signs of the
disease.
(2)Â
The right to seize or remove a cat from a colony that is creating
a nuisance, as defined above, and the caregiver has been given 30
days to remove and relocate the cat, and have failed to do so.
(3)Â
The right to seize or remove a colony of cats when the caregiver
regularly fails to comply with the requirements of this section, and
the Animal Control Officer has not been able to obtain a replacement
or substitute caregiver within 60 days of the Township's notice
of the caregiver's failure to comply with this article.
(4)Â
The right to seize or remove cats from a colony if it is determined
that there is a public health threat, including but not limited to,
zoonotic diseases, feline FIV or leukemia.
F.Â
Nuisance complaint investigation. The requirements of this section
notwithstanding, Animal Control Officers and police officers may investigate
any nuisance complaint.
G.Â
Violations and penalties. Any person who violates any one or more
provisions of this section shall be subject to a fine of not more
than $500. In the case of a continuing violation or violations, a
fine of not more than $500 may be assessed for each day that said
violations are not corrected. A separate offense shall be deemed committed
on each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.
