[Adopted 8-12-1991 (Ch. 36, Art. I, of the 1974 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CAT
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female, or altered.
OWNER
Every person who has a cat in his/her keeping or who harbors or maintains a cat or knowingly permits or induces an unlicensed 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.
[Amended 12-15-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-15]
No person shall own, keep, harbor, maintain, or suffer the keeping, harboring or maintaining of a cat or cats of more than six months of age in the Borough of Prospect Park unless an annual license shall have been issued by the Borough Clerk for each of such cats, in the manner provided herein.
[Amended 2-13-1995 by Ord. No. 1995-2; 12-15-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-15]
A. 
Annual cat licenses shall be issued by the Borough Clerk upon application therefor and payment of a fee of $15 for cats that are not spayed or neutered and $8 for any cat which has been spayed or neutered. Each license shall be accompanied by an official registration tag marked with a number corresponding with the number of the license which shall be securely fastened upon a collar or other device and worn by the cat at all times. Acceptable methods of displaying the registration tag shall include, but not limited to, break-away collars, elastic collars, or leg sleeves.
B. 
All cats more than six months of age shall be vaccinated against rabies by inoculation by a licensed veterinarian in the same manner, and within the current time interval, required as a prerequisite for licensing of dogs under N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.1 et seq. No license shall be issued for any cat unless the owner or person responsible for such cat provides evidence of such inoculation.
C. 
Licenses shall be applied for annually during the month of January and shall be valid for a period ending on the last day of January of the following year. License shall not be transferable. Any owner applying for such a license after the first day of February of each year must show proof that he or she became the owner of the cat after the first day of February of that year or else shall pay a late fee of up to $25 to be determined by the Borough Council by resolution annually. In the event the Borough Council fails to pass said resolution the late fee from the prior year shall apply. The within licensing fee shall not apply to any person who is in possession of a cat merely on a temporary or short-term basis, including but not limited to providing interim shelter prior to locating a permanent owner for the cat upon sufficient proof of same. However, under no circumstances shall possession be deemed temporary or short-term if it exceeds 30 days. In the event that a person has possession of a cat for more than 30 days, they shall be responsible for the licensing fee set forth herein.
A. 
No more than a total of five cats more than six months of age shall be owned, kept, harbored or maintained by any person or persons residing in the same household.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See also § 102-6, Special regulations, regarding the combined total number of dogs and cats permitted to be maintained in a household or dwelling unit.
B. 
No person shall place food intended or suitable for consumption by a cat in any location out-of-doors unless a licensed cat or dog is regularly kept, harbored or maintained on the premises where such food is placed, and if the person placing such food is not the owner or licensee of the cat or dog, then only if the owner or licensee of the same consents to such feeding. In no case shall a person feed a nonlicensed cat. All such food shall be removed within two hours, and in no event shall such food be allowed to remain out-of-doors more than 30 minutes after sunset, and before sunrise.
C. 
Any person or persons owning, keeping, harboring or maintaining in excess of five cats at the time of enactment of this article will be permitted to keep those cats in excess of five, provided the cats are licensed, until such time that they expire. The owners will be prohibited from replacing any cat which would continue the number of cats owned, kept, harbored or maintained to be in the excess of five cats at the time of the enactment of the chapter, and such owners shall be required to submit a written notification to the Borough within 20 days of the adoption of the chapter of the number of cats alleged to be kept, harbored or maintained. The maximum number of cats is also subject to the provisions of § 102-6.
[Amended 2-13-1995 by Ord. No. 1995-2]
A. 
The authorized officer of the Borough of Prospect Park shall take into custody and impound or cause to be taken into custody and impounded any cat off the premises of the owner or the person keeping or harboring said cat, which is not wearing or displaying a current registration tag duly issued for that cat, as required by § 102-10, above.
B. 
If the cat so seized wears a collar or other device having a tag or means of identification bearing the name and address of the owner or any person, then the owner or the person keeping or harboring said cat shall be notified within three days that the cat has been apprehended, and that it may be claimed at a designated location during the following four days. In no event shall the authorized officer be required to keep a cat in custody longer than seven days. Notice under this section may be served either by delivering it to the person on whom it is to be served or by leaving it at, or mailing it by first-class mail to the person's usual or last-known place of abode, or at the address given on the identification tag.
C. 
If the cat so seized does not have any identification, then the authorized officer shall retain the cat in custody for a period of not less than seven days, during which time any person may reclaim the cat, if it is owned, or may assume the responsibilities of owner by applying for a license and registration tag and paying the fees for the same.
D. 
The person claiming a cat in the custody of the authorized officer shall pay any applicable fees, plus daily boarding charges, applicable to impounded dogs.
E. 
Any cat which has been seized and which has not been reclaimed during the custodial period herein set forth, and the required notice has been given, if applicable, may be disposed of by the authorized officer or other duly designated official in a manner consistent with N.J.A.C. 8:23-3.10.
[Amended 12-15-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-15]
Any person who violates any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be liable to a penalty of not less than $15 nor more than $500 for each violation.