Any person within the City owning a cat three months of age
or older shall have such cat vaccinated by, or under the supervision
of, a licensed veterinarian, against rabies. Each unvaccinated cat
three months of age acquired or moved into the City must be vaccinated
within 30 days after purchase or arrival. It shall be the duty of
every veterinarian, at the time of vaccinating any cat, to provide
a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate to the owner. The rabies
vaccination tag shall be attached to and kept upon the collar or harness
of the cat. The three-year rabies vaccine shall be the recognized
vaccine to be used, and booster vaccines shall be obtained, as provided
in 3 P.S. § 455.8, as amended, of the laws of the commonwealth.
It is hereby declared unlawful for any owner, keeper, or harborer
of any cat to permit such cat to run at large, with the exception
of feral cats that are responsibly cared for (vaccinated and either
spayed or neutered), by means of humanely trapping said cats, having
them spayed or neutered, and releasing them. Feeding feral cats in
order to humanely capture them for this purpose is also acceptable.
A.
An owner, keeper or harborer is responsible to insure that a cat
of three months of age or older wears a collar bearing a rabies vaccination
tag. It shall be unlawful for any person to remove, or cause to be
removed, the rabies vaccination tag from the collar of any cat.
Council may enter into an agreement with the City's Animal
Control Officer, or any other duly qualified individual or entity
("Animal Control Officer"), to humanely capture cats running at large,
consistent with the provisions of this article. The Animal Control
Officer shall be empowered to humanely capture, take custody of and
find a humane solution for cats running at large in a manner consistent
with the provisions of this article. Such humane solutions shall include,
trap, neuter, and release (TNR), pet adoption, and other recommendations
by as laid out by the Humane Society. If such cat is so delivered
to the owner, the owner shall pay a fee of $50 to the City within
five days of delivery. Failure to pay said fee shall constitute a
separate violation of this section.
The owner, keeper or harborer of any cat that in any manner
injures or destroys any real or personal property of any description
belonging to another shall be in violation of this article. If upon
the trial of any offense under in this section it shall appear to
the Magisterial District Judge that the person be guilty as charged
in said complaint or citation, said judge may, in addition to the
usual judgment of conviction, order the person so offending to make
restitution to the party injured in an amount equal to the value of
the property so injured or destroyed.
It shall be unlawful for any person to administer, or cause
to be administered, poison of any sort whatsoever to any cat, or to
neglect, or in any manner to mistreat, injure, maim, or destroy except
as specifically authorized in this article, or in any manner to attempt
to mistreat, injure, maim, or destroy a cat, or to place any poison,
poisoned food or poisoned bait where the same is accessible to any
cat. This section shall not be interpreted to prohibit an act of a
licensed veterinarian in causing a cat's death in a humane manner
with the approval of the owner of the cat.
When any cat owner, keeper or harborer has been notified by
any person injured or by someone in his or her behalf, or by someone
with knowledge of said injury, that said person has been bitten or
attacked by said cat, or when any cat owner, keeper or harborer has
been notified by any person that said cat has been bitten by a rabid
animal, the owner, keeper or harborer shall immediately place the
cat under the care and observation of a person or agency so designated
by the laws or Administrative Code of the Commonwealth.
A.
Upon capture of a cat running at large, the Animal Control Officer:
(1)
In capturing cats, consideration shall be made for the safety of
said cats (i.e., traps cannot be wrapped in plastic bags or subject
to weather extremes without frequent monitoring, etc.).
(2)
Shall return the cat to its owner if the Animal Control Officer is able readily to ascertain the identity and residence of the owner. Return of the cat to the owner shall require the owner's written acceptance of the cat on a form prepared by the City and compliance with the requirements of § 130-32. In determining whether to return or attempt to return the cat to an owner, the Animal Control Officer may consider whether the cat has previously run at large, or whether the owner, if known, is or has been a harborer of cats running at large.
(3)
Any cat running at large and captured by the Animal Control Officer,
which is not returned to an owner, shall be delivered to the Humane
Society. The owner of any cat which is delivered to the Humane Society
under this article shall be responsible for payment of the fee set
out in this article, which shall be paid to the City, along with any
fee imposed by the Humane Society to accept the cat, within 15 days
after the cat is delivered to the Humane Society.
A.
Any cat captured by the Animal Control Officer because of the violation
of any of the provisions of this article by its owner shall be released
to the owner thereof by the Animal Control Officer upon proof of ownership
of such cat and upon presentation of a valid and current rabies certificate
showing that such cat has been properly inoculated for rabies, and
upon the payment of a capture fee of $50, or such other fee as may
be set by ordinance or resolution of City Council. If the owner cannot
produce valid and current rabies certificate for each cat, and can
prove that the owner is unable to acquire such inoculation due to
financial constraints, the City may make arrangements with the owner,
or help them find a means to acquire the inoculation.
B.
The City shall pay to the Humane Society, or shall reimburse the
Animal Control Officer for payment thereof, the fee for the acceptance
by the Humane Society of a cat captured by the Animal Control Officer
under the provisions of this article, which is not released to its
owner.
C.
Should the City or the Animal Control Officer become aware of the
identity of the owner of a cat captured and delivered the Humane Society,
under the provisions of this article, within one year after the delivery
of the cat to the Humane Society, the City shall be entitled to collect
from the owner the capture fee and the Humane Society delivery fee,
and may pursue collection at the office of the Magisterial District
Judge.
Council may, from time to time, hire and contract with an Animal
Control Officer as necessary to carry out the provisions of this article.
The Animal Control Officer or any individual or entity appointed with
such duties shall perform their duties in a humane manner, in compliance
with the provisions of this chapter.
It shall be unlawful for any person to hinder, delay, interfere
with, or obstruct the Animal Control Officer while engaged in capturing,
securing, or taking to the animal shelter any cat or cats subject
to be impounded, or to break open or in any manner directly or indirectly
aid, counsel, or advise the breaking open of any animal shelter, or
any ambulance, wagon, or other vehicle used for the collecting or
conveying of cats to the shelter.
