Township of Haddon, NJ Cats

The Department of Licensing, Vital Statistics and Animal Control, which is charged with administering the issuance and/or revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of this chapter.

NEUTERED

Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified by a licensed veterinarian.

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.

PERSON

Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.

SPAYED

Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified by a licensed veterinarian.

§ 91-2 Requirements for harboring cats.

No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the Township of Haddon unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed. The provisions of this section do not apply to cats held in a cattery or those held by a state or federal licensed research facility or veterinary establishment where cats are received or kept for diagnostic, medical, surgical or other treatments or licensed animal shelters, pounds, kennels or pet shops.

There shall not be permitted more than five cats of three months of age or over to be kept or maintained in or on the premises of any home, dwelling apartment, residential unit or business place in the Township of Haddon.

§ 91-3 Vaccination requirements.

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 C.

Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended by the state.

Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the local Board of Health 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.

§ 91-4 Care and control of cats.

Any person who owns, keeps or harbors any cat located within the Township of Haddon or permits a cat to enter the Township of Haddon shall exercise sufficient and proper care and control over such animal at all times so as to prevent the animal from becoming a public nuisance or otherwise violating this chapter.

§ 91-5 Soiling or defiling property.

No person owning, keeping or harboring any cat shall permit it to soil, defile or commit any nuisance on any place where people congregate or walk or upon any public property whatsoever. This provision shall apply to all privately owned property in the Township, except the property of the owner or keeper of the cat and the property owned or controlled by persons who have invited or permitted the owner or keeper of a cat to bring such cat upon the premises.

§ 91-6 Nuisances prohibited.

No person owning or keeping a cat shall permit such cat to become a public nuisance as defined herein.

§ 91-7 Abandonment.

No person shall abandon any cat of any age or permit a cat to become a stray.

§ 91-8 Harboring stray cats.

[Amended 12-17-2019 by Ord. No. 1402]

Except as provided for in § 91-8.1, no person shall harbor any nonowned, unlicensed or stray cat or make food or shelter available to the same following receipt of a notice from the Secretary of the Township Board of Health advising said person that a harboring in violation of this chapter is occurring and giving said person seven days within which to cease and desist such harboring.

§ 91-8.1 Feral cats.

[Added 12-17-2019 by Ord. No. 1402]

Purpose. The goal of this section is to provide for the care and control of stray and feral cat populations within the Township to the extent possible and discourage the unlawful feeding thereof.

Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meanings stated herein. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the present tense include the future, words used in the plural number include the singular number, and words used in the singular number include the plural number. The word "shall" is always mandatory and not merely directory.

ABANDON

The forsaking entirely of, or the refusal, neglectful or otherwise, to provide care and support for a domesticated cat.

CAREGIVER

Any person who provides food, water or shelter to or otherwise cares for a cat and who agrees to facilitate the TNR program within the Township.

DOMESTICATED CAT

A cat that is socialized to humans and is appropriate as a companion for humans.

EARTIPPING

The straight-line cutting of the tip of the left ear of a cat while the cat is anesthetized.

FEED

To give, place, expose, deposit, distribute, or scatter any edible material with the intention of feeding, attracting, or enticing.

FERAL CAT

A cat that exists in a wild or untamed state, either due to birth or reversion to a wild state from domestication. The usual and consistent temperament of a feral cat is extreme fear and resistance to contact with humans. Feral cats are completely or substantially unsocialized to humans.

FERAL CAT COLONY

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.

OWNER

Any person, firm, corporation, company, partnership, association, trust, estate, or any other legal entity.

PERSON

An individual, corporation, company, partnership, firm, or association.

STRAY CAT

A cat that is regularly off the property of the owner, is not under the physical control and restraint of the owner, and is not regularly provided with food by its owner.

TNR

Trap, neuter and return.

TNR PROGRAM

A program pursuant to which feral and stray cats are trapped, neutered or spayed, vaccinated against rabies and returned to the location where they congregate.

Responsibilities of owners of domesticated cats.

(1)

The owner of a domesticated cat shall provide appropriate and adequate food, water and shelter for said cat.

(2)

The owner of a domesticated cat shall exercise reasonable care to guard against the cat creating a nuisance.

(3)

The owner of a sexually intact (not spayed or neutered) domesticated cat shall not permit his/her cat to roam unsupervised.

(4)

An owner shall not abandon a domesticated cat.

Prohibitions. Except as provided for in § 91-8.1E, it shall be unlawful for any person to:

(1)

Keep, maintain, care for, feed, or in any way attract or harbor any feral or stray cat within the Township of Haddon.

(2)

Place food outside a residence or commercial establishment where stray or feral cats have access to the food.

Feral cat colonies.

(1)

Feral cat colonies shall be permitted and caregivers shall be entitled to maintain them in accordance with the terms and conditions of this section.

(2)

Feral cat caregiver requirements. Caregivers shall be responsible for the following:

(a)

Registering the feral cat colony with the Township;

(b)

Taking steps that are reasonably likely to result in the vaccination of the colony population for rabies and making reasonable efforts to update the vaccinations on cats that can be recaptured;

(c)

Taking steps that are reasonably likely to result in the spay/neuter, by a licensed veterinarian, of at least 90% of the colony population;

(d)

Providing the Township with descriptions of each cat in the colony and copies of documents evidencing that the cats have been vaccinated and spayed/neutered;

(e)

Providing food, water and, if feasible, recovery shelter for colony cats; provided, however, that no such shelter shall be on public property;

(f)

Observing the colony cats at least twice per week and keeping a record of any illnesses or unusual behavior noticed in any colony cats;

(g)

Obtaining the approval of the owner of any property to which the caregiver requires access to provide colony care;

(h)

In the event that kittens are born to a colony cat, taking 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;

(i)

Reporting annually, in writing, to the Borough on the status of the colony, including data on the number and gender of all cats in the colony, the number of cats that died or otherwise ceased being a part of the colony during the year; the number of kittens born to colony cats and their disposition, and the number of cats and kittens placed in permanent homes as companion cats; and

(j)

Obtaining proper medical attention for any colony cat that appears to require it.

(3)

Colony cat requirements.

(a)

The left ear of a colony cat that has been spayed or neutered and vaccinated shall be eartipped.

(b)

An electronic animal identification device (EAID) shall be inserted into the cat by a veterinarian in accordance with professional medical standards. The owner or caregiver shall be named the contact person for purposes of the EAID.

(4)

Disposition of colony cats.

(a)

A Township official who has trapped a cat whose left ear has been tipped 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 official shall be responsible for contacting the caregiver or other person named as owner of the cat.

(b)

If the owner or caregiver is not able to immediately take custody of the cat, the cat shall be transported to the Camden County Animal Shelter. The owner or caregiver shall be responsible for retrieving the cat from the shelter within three business days or advising the shelter if the owner or caregiver does not intend to retrieve the cat.

(5)

Liability for costs. In addition to any fines provided pursuant to § 91-10 of this chapter, any person found keeping, maintaining, caring for, feeding, or in any way attracting or harboring any stray or feral cat in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be responsible for any costs incurred by the Township of Haddon to capture, collect, or otherwise impound such cat.

§ 91-9 Licensing requirements; fees.

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 Clerk of the Township, or other official designated by the governing body thereof to license cats in the Township in which he/she resides, a license and official registration tag with license number or a registration sleeve for each cat so owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon such cat a collar or other device with the license number securely fastened or displayed thereto. Acceptable methods of displaying the license number shall include but are not limited to breakaway or elastic collars. License tags or sleeves are not transferable.

Time for applying for license. The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age or of any cat which attains licensing age shall make application for a license tag or sleeve for such cat within 10 days after such acquisition or age attainment. This requirement will not apply to a nonresident keeping a cat within the Township of Haddon for no longer than 90 days.

Cats brought into jurisdiction.

(1)

Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into this 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 the Township for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag or sleeve for such cat.

(2)

Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into this Township any unlicensed cat and shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Township for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.

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 Clerk or other local official designated to license cats in the municipality.

License forms and tags. License forms and official tags or sleeves shall be furnished by the municipality and shall be numbered serially and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of the municipality.

Evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption; requirement for license. No municipal clerk or other official designated by the governing body of any municipality to license cats therein shall 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 recommendation of the United States Department of Agriculture and the United State Department of Human Services or has been certified exempt as provided by § 91-3C of this chapter. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.

License fee schedule. A license shall be issued after payment of the fee provided by Chapter 111, Fees.

[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 1170]

Fees, renewals and expiration date of license.

(1)

The person applying for the license and registration tag and/or sleeve shall pay the fee fixed or authorized. 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 December 31 in the following year.

(2)

A license from another municipality shall be accepted.

(3)

Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall be required in the licensing year for any cat in this Township. Any valid New Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey municipality shall be accepted by this Township as evidence of compliance.

Loss of license. If a license tag or sleeve has been misplaced or lost, the Township Clerk may issue a duplicate license and/or registration sleeve for that particular cat for the fee specified in Chapter 111, Fees.

[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 1170]

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.

Interfering with persons performing duties under this chapter. No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this chapter.

Disposition of fees collected. License fees and other moneys collected or received under the provisions of this chapter shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of the Township 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: collecting, keeping and disposing of cats liable to seizure; for local prevention and control of rabies; providing antirabies treatment under the direction of the local Board of Health for any person known or suspected to have been exposed to rabies; and for administering the provisions of this chapter. Any 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 section. At the end of the 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.

§ 91-10 Violations and penalties.

Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, any person who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with this chapter shall be liable to a penalty of not less than $25 nor more than $50 for each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of the municipality.