[Adopted 11-16-1992 by Ord. No.
22-92 (Ch. XXVI of the Revised General Ordinances)]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any dog or cat.
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female or
altered.
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.[1]
Any cat which is retained and used for the control of rodents
on land in agricultural use or any real property whereupon large farm
animals, such as horses, cattle or sheep, are kept.
Any establishment where the business of boarding, selling
or breeding cats for sale is carried on, except a pet shop.
The agency or department of Washington Township or any designated
representative thereof charged 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.
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat shall include
every person having a right of property (or custody) in such cat and
every person who has such cat in his/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.
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part
of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
An establishment for the confinement of cats seized either
under the provisions of this article or otherwise.
Any establishment where cats are received, housed and distributed
without charge.
[1]
Editor’s Note: The former definition of “certified
animal control officer,” which immediately followed this definition,
was repealed 8-20-2018 by Ord. No. 12-18.
A.
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall
own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within
Washington Township unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed. The
provisions of this article do not apply to cats held in licensed animal
shelters, pounds, kennels or pet shops or those held by a state or
federal licensed research facility or a veterinary establishment where
cats are received or kept for diagnostic, medical, surgical or other
treatments.
B.
Vaccination. All cats shall be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian in accordance with the latest Compendium of Animal Rabies Vaccines and Recommendations for Immunization, published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, except as provided for in Subsection D.
C.
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination
shall be issued to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended
by the state.
D.
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements
of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the Township
Clerk upon presentation of a veterinarian's certificate stating that,
because of an infirmity or other physical condition or regimen of
therapy, the inoculation of such cat shall be deemed inadvisable.
A.
Application for license; when made. Applications for
licenses for cats shall be made before the first day of February of
each calendar year. In all other cases, the application for a license
shall be made within 10 days for any newly acquired cat of licensing
age or for any cat which attains licensing age. This requirement shall
not apply to a nonresident keeping a cat which is licensed in another
state for the current year within Washington Township for no longer
than 90 days.
B.
Cats must have license number displayed. Any person
who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of licensing age shall annually
apply for and procure from the Township Clerk a license and official
registration tag with license number or a registration sleeve for
each cat owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon such cat a collar
or other device with the license number securely fastened thereto
or displayed thereon. Acceptable methods of displaying the license
number shall include, but not be limited to, breakaway or elastic
collars. License tags or sleeves are not transferable.
C.
Cats brought into jurisdiction.
(1)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought
into Washington Township any cat licensed in another state for the
current year, and bearing a registration tag or sleeve, and shall
keep the same or permit the same to be kept within Washington Township
for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license
and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
(2)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought
into Washington Township any unlicensed cat and shall keep the same
or permit the same to be kept within Washington Township for a period
of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration
tag or sleeve for each such cat.
(3)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township
any unlicensed cat belonging to a rescue organization which cat is
fostered within the Township for more than 30 days shall immediately
apply for a license and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
[Added 12-19-2016 by Ord. No.
12-16]
D.
Application; contents; preservation of information.
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings
of the cat for which license and registration are sought and whether
it is of a long- or short-haired variety, also the name, street and
post office address of the owner and the person who shall keep or
harbor such cat. The information on said application and the registration
number issued for the cat shall be preserved for a period of three
years by the Township Clerk.
E.
License forms and tags. License forms and official
tags or sleeves shall be furnished by the Township, shall be numbered
serially and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of Washington
Township.
F.
Evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption; requirement for license. The Township Clerk shall not grant any such license and official registration tag or sleeve for any cat unless the owner thereof provides evidence that the cat to be licensed and registered has been inoculated with a rabies vaccine of a type approved by and administered in accordance with the recommendations of the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Human Services and that the rabies inoculation will not expire during the current licensing year or has been certified exempt as provided by § 46-19D of this article. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.
G.
License fee schedule. The annual fee for a license
shall be $11.50 for each unneutered cat and $8.50 for each neutered
cat. There shall be a late charge of $4 per month for any application
made after January 31 and before March 1 of each year and an additional
charge of $3 per month for any month or part of a month for any application
made on or after March 1. Proof of rabies inoculation showing that
the inoculation will not expire prior to November 1 of the current
licensing year, as well as proof of neutering, must be presented when
applying for a license.
[Amended 12-19-1994 by Ord. No. 29-94; 9-15-2008 by Ord. No. 17-08[1]; 10-20-2014 by Ord. No. 16-14; 11-16-2015 by Ord. No. 12-15; 12-19-2016 by Ord. No. 12-16]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided
that it would take effect 1-1-2009.
H.
Fees; renewals; expiration date of license.
(1)
The fee for the renewal of a license and registration
tag or sleeve shall be the same as for the original, and said license,
registration tag or sleeve and renewal thereof shall expire on the
last day of January in the year following the year in which it was
issued.
(2)
Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall
be required in the licensing year for any cat in Washington Township.
Any valid New Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey
municipality shall be accepted by the Township as evidence of compliance.
I.
Loss of license. If a license tag or sleeve has been
misplaced or lost, the cat licensing official may issue a duplicate
license and/or registration sleeve for that particular cat at a fee
of $0.50.
J.
Proof of licensing. Proof of licensing shall be produced
by any person owning, keeping, maintaining or harboring a cat, upon
the request of any health official, police officer, Animal Control
Officer or other authorized person.
K.
Interfering with persons performing duties under this
article. No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized
or empowered to perform any duty under this article.
L.
Disposition of fees collected. License fees and other
moneys collected or received under the provisions of this article
shall be forwarded to the Treasurer and shall be placed in a special
account separate from any of the other accounts of the Township and
shall be used for the following purposes only: for collecting, keeping
and disposing of cats liable for seizure, for local prevention and
control of rabies, for providing antirabies treatment under the direction
of the Board of Health for any person known or suspected to have been
exposed to rabies and for administering the provisions of this article.
Any unexpected balance remaining in such special account shall be
retained until the end of the third fiscal year following and may
be used for any of the purposes set forth in this subsection. At the
end of said third fiscal year following, and at the end of each fiscal
year thereafter, there shall be transferred from such special account
to the general funds of the Township any amount then in such account
which is in excess of the total amount paid into the special account
during the last two fiscal years next preceding.
M.
Exemptions for farm cats. Farm cats shall be licensed
and registered as other cats and must be vaccinated as other cats,
except that the owner or keeper of that cat or cats shall not be required
to pay any fee therefor.
A.
Cat bites; known owner or harborer. Where it has been
determined that a person has been bitten by a cat, the individual,
or his parent or guardian if he is a minor, shall immediately notify
the police. When the owner or keeper of any cat is notified by the
police that the cat has bitten an individual, the owner or keeper
of the cat shall comply with the following procedures:
(1)
Have the cat examined by a licensed veterinarian within
12 hours, unless the cat has a current rabies vaccination.
(2)
Have the cat kept in quarantine in the owner's home
or at a kennel at the direction of the authorized agent of the Board
of Health for a period of 10 days, unless the cat does not have a
current rabies vaccination. The unvaccinated cat must be quarantined
under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian for a period of 10
days, the cost of which is to be borne by the owner or harborer.
B.
At the end of 10 days have the cat reexamined by a
veterinarian and a written report of the cat's state of health sent
to the Board of Health.
C.
Where the cat dies for any reason within the quarantine
period, the owner or keeper shall be responsible for obtaining the
head of the animal and transporting the head to the State Department
of Health. In lieu thereof, the owner may request that the Township
transport the head of the animal and shall pay the Township a fee
of $100 which will cover all transportation expenses incurred by the
Township in providing this service.
Except as otherwise provided in this article, any person who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with this article shall be liable to a penalty according to the provisions of Article 1, General Provisions, § 1-3, General penalty, of the Township Code of the Township of Washington.
