[Adopted 10-10-1973 by Ord. No. 73-11]
The short title of this article shall be the "Cat Ordinance of the Borough of Park Ridge."
A. 
Definitions. The words hereinafter defined shall have the meaning herein indicated for the purposes of this article as follows:
CAT
Any cat, male or female, spayed female or neutered male.
CAT OF LICENSING AGE
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months.
OWNER
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat shall mean and include every person having a right of property in such cat and every person who has such cat in his keeping.
PERSON
An individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association of persons.
BOROUGH
The Borough of Park Ridge in the County of Bergen.
GOVERNING BODY
The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Park Ridge.
B. 
Word usage.
(1) 
The words "and" and "or" may be used interchangeably and either of the two may be applicable, whichever is more conducive towards the effectuating of this article.
(2) 
Personal pronouns shall mean either the singular or the plural, whichever is applicable and more conducive towards the effectuating of this article.
(3) 
The masculine, feminine or the neuter gender shall be implied whenever it is appropriate and conducive for the effectuating of this article.
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6[1]]
A. 
No person shall own, keep or harbor any cat within the Borough except in compliance with the provisions of this article, which includes obtaining a license and official metal registration tag therefor issued by the Borough Clerk and the payment of the prescribed fee.
B. 
No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the Borough of Park Ridge unless such cat is vaccinated. All owners of cats shall provide evidence that the cat to be licensed 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 Human Services unless the cat is exempt under this article.
C. 
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 a veterinary establishment where cats are received or kept for diagnostic, medical, surgical or other treatments or licensed animal shelters, pounds, kennels or pet shops.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 52-30, License required; § 52-31, Application, registration numbers; § 52-32, Procurement of license and registration tag, collar; § 52-33, Cats brought into Borough, exception; § 52-34, Fees, renewal, expiration date; § 52-35, Disposition of fees; and § 52-36, Removal of tag prohibited, attaching tag wrongfully; were repealed 11-13-1984 by Ord. No. 84-12.
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6]
The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age shall apply for a license and registration tag for such cat within 10 days after such acquisition or age attainment.
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6]
A. 
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Borough any cat licensed in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag and who shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Borough for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for each such cat.
B. 
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Borough any unlicensed cat and who shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Borough for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for each such cat.
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6]
Only one license and registration tag shall be required in any licensing year for any cat owned in New Jersey, and such license and tag issued by any other municipality of the state shall be accepted by the Borough as evidence of compliance with this article.
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6]
A. 
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings of the cat for which the license and registration are sought and whether it is of a long-haired or shorthaired variety, the name and street and post office address of the owner and the person who shall keep or harbor such cat.
B. 
Registration numbers shall be issued in the order of the application.
C. 
The information on said application and the registration number issued for the cat shall be preserved for a period of three years by the Borough Clerk. In addition, the Clerk shall forward to the State of New Jersey an accurate account of registration numbers issued or otherwise disposed of.
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6]
A. 
The person applying for the license and registration tag shall pay to the Borough Clerk a fee of $10 for the licensing of each cat that has been spayed or neutered and $13 for each cat that is nonspayed or nonneutered. Each license and tag shall be renewed annually, and for each annual renewal, the fee for the license and for the registration tag shall be the same as for the original license and registration tag. The licenses, registration tags and renewals thereof shall expire on the last day of January of each year.
[Amended 2-2-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-03]
B. 
Late fees.
[Added 3-10-1992 by Ord. No. 92-5]
(1) 
If the required license has not been purchased by March 1, a late fee of $10 will be charged in addition to the license fee.
(2) 
An owner whose cat turns seven months old after March 1, or a new resident who moves into Park Ridge after March 1 of a given year, shall not be charged a late fee.
[Added 3-10-1992 by Ord. No. 92-5]
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6]
A. 
License fees and other moneys collected or received under the provisions of this article, except registration tag fees, shall be forwarded to the Borough Treasurer within 30 days after collection or receipt.
B. 
Such fees and other moneys shall be placed in a separate account from any of the other accounts of the Borough and shall be used only for purposes permitted by law.
C. 
The registration tag fees shall be forwarded by the Borough Clerk, within 30 days after collection, to the appropriate agency within the State of New Jersey.
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6]
License forms and uniform official metal registration tags, designed by the State Department of Health, shall be furnished by the Borough Clerk and shall be numbered serially and shall state the year of issuance and the name of the Borough.
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6]
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 is not issued.
[Added 3-12-1991 by Ord. No. 91-6; amended 11-11-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-11; 2-2-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-03]
The fee for licensing any cat as required by this article is waived for senior citizens of the Borough. A "senior citizen" is defined as a permanent resident of the Borough, 65 years of age or older. Senior citizens shall be required to pay $5 for the cost of the tag for each cat.
A. 
The Mayor, with the consent of the Borough Council, shall have the power to appoint, contract for or retain a warden and/or poundmaster or person, firm or company performing such services whose duties it shall be to enforce the provisions of this article.
B. 
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as limiting the authority of the Board of Health, its officers, servants or employees or the Chief of Police or members of the Police Department to enforce the provisions of this article when, in the interest of health and safety, thee deem it necessary.
The Animal Warden shall take into custody and impound or cause to be taken into custody and impounded, and thereafter destroyed or disposed of as provided in this article, any cat off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring the cat on complaint of the police or of the resident of the premises to which the cat has strayed as well as any cat which the Animal Warden has substantial reason to believe is abandoned, diseased or injured.
A. 
If any cat so seized wears a collar having inscribed thereon or attached thereto the name and address of any person or a registration tag or if the cat has identification as herein provided or if the owner or other person keeping or harboring the cat is otherwise known, the Animal Warden or any person authorized by him in that behalf may return the cat to the owner, and if not, he shall immediately notify by telephone or mail the person whose address is given on the collar, or the person whose name is registered as the owner. The notice shall state that the cat has been seized and will be liable to be disposed of or destroyed if not claimed within seven days after the service of the notice. A notice under this section may be served by delivering to the person on whom it is to be served, or by leaving it at the person's usual or last known place of abode, or by mailing the same to the address given on the collar or registration.
B. 
The Animal Warden shall post a notice on the bulletin board attached to the Municipal Building of the Borough of Park Ridge, which shall state the description and place where the cat was seized, but the failure to post this notice shall in no way affect the validity of any proceedings required or permitted to be taken by him under this article.
C. 
Additionally, the Animal Warden shall deposit with the Police Department of the Borough of Park Ridge, on the same day a cat is seized, a statement, including, where possible, the name and address of the person given on the collar, the number on the cat's registration tag, whether it is of a long-or shorthaired variety, its color and markings and the date and place where the cat was seized. The Police Department shall assign a number to said statement and shall give a receipt to the Animal Warden for said statement showing the number given.
A. 
For every cat impounded there shall be charged a detention expense to cover the costs of maintenance, payable by the owner to the pound, payable at a rate to be determined by contract between the governing body and the pound.
B. 
(Reserved)[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Subsection B, which required proof of licensing and registration or proof of ownership for the release of impounded cats, was repealed 11-13-1984 by Ord. No. 84-12.
C. 
(Reserved)[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Original Subsection C, which set forth fees for the release of unlicensed and unregistered cats, was repealed 11-13-1984 by Ord. No. 84-12.
D. 
The Animal Warden shall be required to detain every identifiable licensed cat for a period of seven days after its seizure and after notice has been given pursuant to this article and shall detain every unlicensed cat or every other cat so seized where it cannot be identified or notice cannot be given as set forth in this article for a period of seven days after its seizure. If, after said respective period of detention, no person has claimed the cat or will not pay the charges required hereunder, the Animal Warden may cause the cat to be destroyed upon prior notice to the Borough in a manner and by methods prescribed as humane by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association or to be placed with some responsible person desiring the cat as a household pet; but the Animal Warden may sooner dispose of any cat, whether or not the owner is known or whether or not it is licensed, if said cat is so ill or injured as to justify such disposal, upon prior notice to the owner where the same can be determined.
No person shall abandon any cat no matter what its age may be within the Borough of Park Ridge. No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duties under this article.
A. 
Any cat which has bitten or abraded the skin of a human being shall be forthwith quarantined into the care of a licensed veterinarian of the State of New Jersey for observation and examination. Before such cat is released from quarantine, the veterinarian shall certify that to the best of his knowledge such cat is free of rabies; provided, however, that if any cat has received antirabic treatment under the direction of the Borough of Park Ridge Board of Health or a licensed veterinarian within one year prior to the time that he has bitten or abraded the skin of a human being, such cat may, in the discretion of the Board of Health, be quarantined into the care of his owner for a period of not less than 10 days from the day of the bite or abrasion.
B. 
This section shall not be construed as preventing the Animal Warden, when necessary, from quarantining the animals referred to herein, so long as prior to such animal's release, an examination is made by a licensed veterinarian and a written report thereof is transmitted to the Borough Board of Health.
The Chief of Police of the Borough of Park Ridge, or such other person designated for the purpose by resolution of the Mayor and Council, shall cause a canvass to be made of all cats owned, kept or harbored within the limits of the Borough and shall, on or before May 1 of each year, make reports to the Borough Clerk and the Board of Health of the Borough setting forth in separate columns:
A. 
The names and addresses of persons owning, keeping or harboring such cats.
B. 
The number of licensed cats owned, kept or harbored by each of said persons, together with the registration numbers of each of said cats.
C. 
The number of unlicensed cats owned, kept or harbored by each of said persons, together with the complete description of each of said unlicensed cats.
A. 
No person shall keep or harbor any cat in the Borough, except in compliance with the provisions of this article.
B. 
No more than three cats of licensing age shall be kept, maintained or harbored at any one time for any length of time in any residential housing unit or on its grounds or in any business establishments or on its grounds. This restriction shall not apply to properly licensed kennels, pet shops, pounds and shelters. The provisions of this section shall become effective after passage and publication as prescribed by law, but shall not apply to those persons keeping, maintaining or harboring more than three cats as of the date of the passage of this article, to the extent that said persons may continue to keep, maintain or harbor more than three cats, but shall not replace lost, strayed or deceased cats until the number of cats in their possession shall be reduced to three.
C. 
No person owning or having the care, custody or control of any cat shall suffer or permit such cat to:
(1) 
Soil or defile or do any injury or damage to any lawn, vegetable garden, shrubbery, trees, flowers, driveway, ground or any property of any persons other than that of the owner or person having the care, custody or control of such cat.
(2) 
Cause any injury to any person.
(3) 
Cry, whine or otherwise disturb the peace or quiet of the neighborhood or the sleep of any person for any unreasonable length of time.
(4) 
Be or become a public nuisance or to create a condition hazardous to safety and health.
D. 
The habitual howling of a cat or cats in the Borough of Park Ridge is hereby declared to be a disturbing noise within the meaning of N.J.S.A. 40:48-1, Subsection 8, and a nuisance.
A. 
No person shall be cruel or inhumane to a cat, said cruelty and inhumanity consisting of beating, torturing, mutilating, cruelly killing or clearly failing to provide food, drink or shelter for a cat or abandoning any cat of which he has charge, either as owner or otherwise.
B. 
No person owning, keeping, harboring or having the care, custody or control of any cat shall abandon such a maimed, sick, infirmed or disabled animal or creature to die.
A. 
Any cat which has attacked, bitten or abraded any human being or which habitually attacks other cats or domestic animals is hereby presumed to be a vicious cat for the purposes of this section until further determination of facts are made as hereinafter provided.
B. 
It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police of the Borough of Park Ridge or any person authorized by him or the governing body of the Borough to receive and investigate complaints against cats, and when any cat complained against shall be deemed by such Chief of Police to be a vicious cat as herein defined, the said officer shall file a complaint in the Municipal Court of the Borough which shall thereupon cause the owner or person harboring such cat to be notified in writing of the complaint and to appear before said Municipal Court Judge at a stated time and place. Pending the disposition of said complaint, the Chief of Police or other such authorized person may order that the cat be restricted to the property of the owner or person harboring said cat.
C. 
The Municipal Court Judge, at the time set for such hearing, shall inquire into the facts and give all interested persons an opportunity to be heard, under oath, and to be represented by counsel, and if the Municipal Court Judge shall decide that such cat complained of is a vicious cat as defined by this section, notice of such decision shall be given to the owner or person harboring such cat.
D. 
No cat which has been so determined to be a vicious cat shall be permitted to run at large, or be upon any street or public place in the Borough. And the owner or person harboring such vicious cat, who shall suffer or permit such cat to be upon any street, public place or property in the Borough, other than the property of the owner or person harboring such cat, shall be guilty of a violation of this article.
The governing body shall have the power to:
A. 
Hear and decide appeals where it is alleged by the appellant that there is error in any order requirement, decision or refusal made by the Animal Warden, Board of Health, Police Department or other administrative official or agency based on or made in the enforcement of this article.
B. 
Hear and decide in accordance with the provisions of this article requests for special exceptions from the requirements of this article.
C. 
No relief may be granted or action taken under the terms of this section, unless such a relief can be granted without substantial detriment to the public good, and will not substantially impair the intent and purpose of this article.
A. 
No person owning, keeping or harboring any cat shall suffer or permit it to run at large upon any private property other than that of the owner or person keeping or harboring said cat.
B. 
Any cat found running at large, except as permitted by this article, shall be deemed to be doing so with the permission of the owner, keeper or harborer and such person shall be deemed guilty of a violation of this article.
C. 
No person owning, keeping or harboring any cat shall suffer or permit it to enter any food establishment which, for the purposes of this article, shall include any place used for the production, preparation, manufacture, packing, storage, transportation or handling of foodstuffs intended for sale or distribution.
D. 
Any cat found in any place specified in Subsection C of this section shall be deemed to be in such place by permission or order of the owner, harborer or keeper of such cat, and any cat committing any of the acts specified in § 52-44 shall be deemed to have committed them by permission or order of the owner, harborer or keeper of such cat and such owner, harborer or keeper shall be guilty of a violation of this article.
E. 
The Animal Warden shall be the person or firm so designated by the governing body and acting as such from time to time.
[Amended 11-13-1984 by Ord. No. 84-12]
Any person who violates any section of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, by punished by a fine of not less than $5 nor more than $50 for each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of the Borough and or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 30 days.