As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
COMMUNITY CAT
Any free-roaming, feral, or barn cat that may be cared for
by one or more residents of the immediate area and which has no discernible
form of ownership identification.
COMMUNITY CAT CAREGIVER
A person who may provide care, including food, water, shelter
or medical care to a community cat. A community cat caregiver shall
not be considered to be the owner, custodian, harborer, controller,
or keeper of a community cat.
EARTIPPING
The removal of the 1/4 inch tip of community cat's left ear,
performed while the cat is under anesthesia by a licensed veterinarian
and designed to be an indication that the community cat has been sterilized
and vaccinated for rabies.
FERAL CAT
A cat that:
A.
Is born in the wild or is the offspring of an owned or feral
cat and is not socialized; or
B.
Is a formerly owned cat that has been abandoned and is no longer
socialized.
MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNITY CATS
To permit implementation of a community cat program (CCP)
in the Borough of Swedesboro, New Jersey, for the purpose of reducing
the population of feral and free-roaming cats, benefitting public
health, improving the quality of life for residents, and ensuring
the humane treatment of community cats.
Animal services shall administer and implement the programs
set forth in this in article in accordance with applicable guidelines
and standards as set forth in state and local statute.
A. Community cats. The Borough of Swedesboro establishes the following
community cat requirements:
(1) Community cats may be cared for on the private property of the caregiver
or upon the property of another with the permission of the owner or
property manager.
(2) All community cat caregivers shall make reasonable efforts to have
all free-roaming cats within their care sterilized, vaccinated against
rabies, and ear-tipped for easy identification.
(3) All community cat caregivers are required to make reasonable efforts
to provide certain necessities to each community cat under his/her
care on a regular/ongoing basis, including, but not limited to, proper
nutrition, adequate quantities of visibly clean and fresh water and
medical care as needed. If medical care is unavailable or too expensive,
the community cat caregiver must not allow the cat to suffer. Feeding
is permitted during daylight hours only. Food must be offered to cats
in a container and shall not be dumped on the ground. Any food remaining
after cats have eaten must be removed before dark. Feeding areas must
be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.
(4) Community cat caregivers shall make reasonable attempts to remove
young kittens from the field for domestication.
B. Community cats meeting the requirements of this section are exempt
from any licensing, stray, and at-large provisions of this chapter.
C. Animal services shall have the right to remove or authorize the removal
of any free-roaming cat or community cat because of immediate public
health or safety concerns.
D. No community cat shall be released at any governmentally owned or
managed park, natural area, area deemed as environmentally sensitive
land or on any easement adjacent to such lands without approval from
Animal Services.
E. Healthy community cats that have been trapped by Animal Services
in accordance with this section shall be considered to be "on the
property of the owner" and thus not stray (off the property of the
owner) to be impounded. Healthy community cats shall be immediately
returned to the location at which they were found, released to a caregiver
or adopted. Prior to being returned to the location at which they
were found or released to a caregiver, community cats shall be sterilized,
ear tipped while under anesthesia by a licensed veterinarian, and
vaccinated for rabies.
F. Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever such cat is visibly injured
or diseased and appears to be suffering and it reasonably appears
that such cat cannot be expeditiously cured and returned to the field,
transferred to a humane society or private animal nonprofit organization
or placed in foster care, then Animal Services, acting in good faith
and upon reasonable belief, may humanely euthanize the cat upon the
advice of a licensed veterinarian.