As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
A cat.
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female or
altered.
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part
of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
The agency or department of the City of Somers Point or any
designated representative thereof charged with administering the issuance
and/or revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of
this article.
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/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.
A.
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall own, keep,
harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the City
of Somers Point unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed. The provisions
of this section do not apply to cats held in a cattery, those held
by a state or federal licensed research facility, 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.
B.
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 D.
C.
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued,
on a form recommended by the state, to the owner of each animal vaccinated.
D.
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such
vaccination for a specified period of time by the County Board of
Health, upon presentation of a veterinarian's certificate stating
that, because of an infirmity or other physical condition or regiment
of therapy, the inoculation of such cat shall be deemed inadvisable.
A.
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 municipality, or other official designated
by the governing body thereof to license cats in the municipality
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 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.
B.
Time for applying for license. The owner of any newly acquired cat
of licensing age or of any cat which attained 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 City of Somers
Point for no longer than 90 days.
C.
Cats brought into City of Somers Point.
(1)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into this City
of Somers Point 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 City of Somers Point for
a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license
and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
(2)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into this City
of Somers Point any unlicensed cat and shall keep the same or permit
the same to be kept within the City of Somers Point for a period of
more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration
tag or sleeve for each such cat.
D.
Application; contents; preservation of information. 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- 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.
E.
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.
F.
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 recommendations of the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Human Services or has been certified exempt as provided by § 120-31 of this article. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.
G.
Licensing of cats.
(1)
(2)
A late fee in the amount of $20 shall be assessed in addition to
the license fee for any license which is not paid by July 1 of each
registration calendar year. The late fee and penalty provision in
this section shall not apply to any license for any cat which was
not owned, harbored, kept or maintained in the City of Somers Point
until after June 20 of each registration calendar year.
[Amended 3-12-2015 by Ord. No. 7-2015]
H.
Fees; renewals; expiration date of license.
(1)
A license from another municipality shall be accepted. 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 January 31 in the following year.
(2)
Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall be required
in the licensing year for any cat in the City of Somers Point. Any
valid New Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey municipality
shall be accepted by this municipality as evidence of compliance.
I.
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.
J.
Interfering with persons performing duties under this article. No
person shall hinder, molest or interfere with any one authorized or
empowered to perform any duty under this article.
K.
Disposition of fees collected. License fees and other moneys collected
or received under the provisions of this article shall be forwarded
to the Treasurer of the City of Somers Point and shall be placed in
a special account separate from any of the other account of the City
of Somers Point and shall be used for the following purposes only:
collecting, keeping and disposing of cats liable to seizure; local
prevention and control of rabies; providing antirabies treatment under
the direction of the County Board of Health for any person known or
suspected to have been exposed to rabies; and administering the provisions
of this article. Any unexpected 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 municipality 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.
It shall be the duty of the Animal Control Officer to seize
any stray cats, and if the cat lacks a collar with any means of identifying
the owner, he shall place the cat for adoption or disposal in a humane
fashion.
