[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough of Rutherford Council 9-4-1991 by
Ord. No. 2620-91. Amendments noted where applicable.]
For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms, phrases, words
and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein:
Any person or agency designated by the Mayor and Council of the Borough
of Rutherford or authorized by law to enforce the provisions of this chapter.
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female or neutered.
Any cat which has attained the age of four months or which possesses
a set of permanent teeth.
The Police Department of the Borough of Rutherford or any persons
designated by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Rutherford who shall
be charged with administering the issuance and revocation of permits and licenses
under the provisions of this chapter.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified by a
licensed veterinarian.
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat, includes every person
having a right of property or custody in such cat and every person who has
such cat in his or 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.
Inoculation against rabies performed by a licensed veterinarian,
or such other person permitted by law to do the same under the supervision
of a veterinarian, in accordance with the latest Compendium of Animal Rabies
Vaccines and Recommendation for Immunization published by the National Association
of State Public Health Veterinarians.
Any person licensed to practice veterinary medicine by any state
of the United States.
A.Â
No person shall be the owner of a cat of licensing age
within the Borough of Rutherford unless such cat is licensed and has a vaccination
which was administered within the last 365 days or for which a valid vaccination
certificate has been issued with an expiration date occurring in the future.
The provisions of this section do not apply to cats held in a veterinary establishment
where cats are received or kept for diagnostic, medical, surgical or other
treatments.
B.Â
A certificate of vaccination shall be issued to the owner
of each cat which has been administered a vaccination in a form recommended
by the State of New Jersey.
C.Â
Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such
vaccination for a specified period of time by the Borough of Rutherford Department
of Health upon presentation of a veterinarian's certificate stating that,
because of an infirmity or other physical condition or regimen of therapy,
a vaccination of such cat shall be deemed inadvisable.
A.Â
Any owner of a cat of licensing age shall apply for and
procure from the Borough of Rutherford Police Department or other officials
designated by the Borough Administrator a license for each cat owned, except
as provided below. The license number shall be displayed on any licensed cat.
Acceptable methods of displaying the license number shall include, but are
not limited to, an official license tag or sleeve securely affixed to a breakaway
or elastic collar. License tags or sleeves are not transferable. If a cat
is tattooed with the owner's social security number plus a letter uniquely
identifying such cat and such identifying tattoo is listed on the license
application and vaccine certificate, then no license number need be displayed.
B.Â
The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age,
or of any cat which attains licensing age, shall make application for a license
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 Borough
of Rutherford for no longer than 30 days.
C.Â
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into
the Borough of Rutherford any cat, and shall keep the same or permit the same
to be kept within the Borough of Rutherford for a period of more than 30 days,
shall immediately apply for a license for such cat, unless otherwise exempted
under this chapter.
D.Â
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color
and markings of the cat for which the license is sought and whether it is
of a long- or short-haired variety; the date on which such cat was last vaccinated
against rabies and the expiration date of such vaccination; the name, street,
post office address and telephone number of the owner; the person who shall
keep or harbor such cat, and any tattoo which shall be used to identify 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 Borough
of Rutherford Police Department or other officials designated to license cats.
E.Â
License forms and official tags or sleeves shall be furnished
by the Borough of Rutherford, shall be numbered serially and shall bear the
year of issuance and the name of the Borough of Rutherford.
F.Â
The Borough of Rutherford Police Department or other official designated by the Mayor and Council to license cats shall not grant any such license for any cat, unless the owner thereof provides evidence that the cat to be licensed has been vaccinated or has been certified exempt as provided by § 20A-2 of this chapter.
G.Â
Applications for the renewal of a license under this
chapter shall be made in the month immediately prior to the expiration date
of the current license.
H.Â
Proof of licensing shall be produced by any owner of
a cat upon the request of any health official, police officer or animal control
officer.
I.Â
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone
authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this chapter.
[Amended 9-14-2004 by Ord. No. 3062-04]
The applicants shall pay an annual fee of $7 per year for a license
for each neutered and nonneutered cat owned, kept or harbored. If a license
tag is misplaced or lost, the Police Department may issue a duplicate license
for that particular cat for a fee of $6. The fees shall not be apportioned
pro rata.
Management of domestic animals known or suspected to have been bitten
by a known or suspected rabid animal of unknown origin shall be quarantined
in accordance with Title 26 of the New Jersey Statutes Annotated. The owner
of a cat evidencing a change in disposition or illness suggesting it may be
rabid may be required to have such cat examined by an approved veterinarian.
Any cost incurred in quarantining such cat or for the veterinary service examination
shall be paid for by the owner or harborer of such cat or cats.[1]
License fees and other moneys collected or received under the provisions
of this chapter shall be forwarded to the Borough Treasurer and shall be placed
in a special account separate from any of the other accounts of the Borough
and shall be used for the purposes provided by law.
The Chief of Police of the Borough shall annually, during the months
of July and August, cause a canvass of all cats owned, kept or harbored within
the limits of the Borough and shall report to the Borough Clerk. Borough of
Rutherford Department of Health and, if required by law, to the State Department
of Health the result thereof, setting forth the names and addresses of persons
owning, keeping or harboring such cats; the number of licensed cats owned,
kept or harbored by each of said persons, together with the license numbers
of said cats; and also setting forth the names and addresses of persons owning,
keeping or harboring unlicensed cats, the number of unlicensed cats owned,
kept or harbored by each said person, together with a complete description
of each unlicensed cat.
The Borough Clerk shall publish a notice reminding cat owners to make
application for said cat license during the month in which cat licenses expire.
Any person found guilty of violating any provision of this chapter shall,
upon conviction, be punished by a fine not to exceed the sum
of $25 for each offense.
