As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
ABANDONED
As to a cat means that the cat has an appearance that an
owner has forsaken a domesticated cat entirely, or the cat appears
to be deprived of care, shelter and support.
ANIMAL
For the purpose of this article, "animal" shall mean "cat."
ANIMAL CONTROL AUTHORITY
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
CAT
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female or
altered.
A.
DOMESTICATED CATA cat that is socialized to humans and appears appropriate as a companion for humans as determined by the Animal Control Authority.
B.
FERAL CATA cat that appears to exist in a wild or untamed state either due to circumstances of birth or conversion to a wild state of a previously domesticated cat after living out of doors for a period of time as determined by the Animal Control Authority.
CAT OF LICENSING AGE
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months, or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
CATTERY
Any room or group of rooms, cage, or exhibition pen, not
part of a kennel, wherein cats for sale or other transfer are kept
or displayed.
EARTIPPING
Straight-line cutting of the tip of the left ear of a cat
while the cat is anesthetized.
FARM
Any area of a lot of a minimum of five acres which is used for gain in the raising of agricultural product, horticultural products, livestock or dairy products, as defined in §
95-2.4.
LICENSING AUTHORITY
The agency or department of Manalapan Township or any designated
representative thereof charged with administering the issuance and/or
revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of this article.
NEUTERED
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
NUISANCE
Conduct by cats that disturbs the peace and threatens the
public health by:
A.
Habitually howling crying or screaming; or
B.
Significant destruction, desecration or soiling
of property against the wishes of the owner of the property; or
C.
Carrying a zoonotic disease.
OWNER
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 person that regularly feeds,
shelters or cares for a cat shall be deemed the owner of that cat.
PERSON
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
TNR
Trap, neuter, return.
TNR PROGRAM
A program pursuant to which feral and abandoned cats are
trapped, neutered or spayed, vaccinated against rabies and returned
to the location where they congregate.
ZOONOTIC DISEASE
Those diseases transmittable to humans from animals, including
parasitic, bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.
No person shall own, keep or harbor a cat in
the Township except in compliance with the provisions of this article
and the following regulations:
A. Use of registration tags. No person, except an officer
in the performance of his duties, shall remove a registration tag
from the collar of any cat without the consent of the owner, nor shall
any person attach a registration tag to a cat for which it was not
issued.
B. Interference with official duties. No person shall
hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized or empowered to
perform any duty under this article.
C. Disturbing the peace. No person shall own, keep, harbor
or maintain any cat which habitually cries between the hours of 8:00
p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
D. Running at large. No person owning, keeping or harboring
any cat shall suffer to permit it to run at large outside the premises
of the owner.
E. Nuisance. No person owning, keeping or harboring a
cat shall permit or suffer it to do any injury or to do any damage
to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers, grounds or property not belonging
to the owner or to cause injury to any livestock, person or domestic
animal.
F. No owner of property shall allow unspayed, unvaccinated
feral cats to run at large outside the premises of the owner. Vaccination
and spaying shall be evidenced by ear-tipping. Farms are exempt from
the provisions of this subsection.
Except as otherwise provided in this article,
any person who violates, or who fails, or refuses to comply with,
this article shall be liable for a penalty of not more than $1,000
and six months' imprisonment, or both, for each offense, to be recovered
by and in the name of the local Board of Health, or by and in the
name of the municipality.