[Adopted 11-10-1992 by Section 25 of Ord. No. 92-83[1] (Ch. 219, Art. VII, of the 1990 Code)]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance was vetoed by the Mayor 11-17-1992. The veto was overridden by Council 11-24-1992.
In the interpretation of this article, the following words and phrases, unless the context shows another sense to be intended, shall be held to have the meanings hereinafter stated:
ANIMAL
For the purpose of this article, "animal" shall mean dog or cat.
ANIMAL CONTROL AUTHORITY
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
CAT
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female or altered.
CAT OF LICENSE AGE
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.
CATTERY
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
LICENSING AUTHORITY
The agency or department within the municipal limits of the City of Vineland or any designated representative thereof charged with administering the issuance and/or revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of this article.
NEUTERED
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified by a licensed veterinarian.
OWNER
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 or who feeds such a cat on a regular basis.
PERSON
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
A. 
License requirements. No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the municipal limits of the City of Vineland unless such cat is 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 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 to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended by the state.
D. 
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the Local Health Department, 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 advisable.
[Amended 11-24-1992 by Ord. No. 92-91; 10-22-1996 by Ord. No. 96-88; 11-25-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-78]
A. 
Cats must have a license number displayed. Any person who owns, keeps or harbors a cat of licensing age shall annually apply for and procure from the Director of the Department of Licenses and Inspections 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 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 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 municipal limits of the City of Vineland for no longer than 90 days.
C. 
Cats brought into jurisdiction.
(1) 
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought within the municipal limits of the City of Vineland any cat licensed in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag or sleeve and who shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the municipal limits of the City of Vineland 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 within the municipal limits of the City of Vineland any unlicensed cat and who shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the municipal limits of the City of Vineland 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 license and registration are sought and whether it is of a long-haired 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 Director of the Department of Licenses and Inspections.
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 license, official registration tag or sleeve for any cat shall be granted 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 § 224-70 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. A license shall not be issued unless the rabies inoculation certificate is valid through December 31, or any other such date necessary to conform to the most recent policy statement from the State Department of Health and Senior Services regarding such matters, of the licensing year for which application is being made.
G. 
License fee schedule.
(1) 
Any person applying for such license or renewal between January 1 and the last day of March shall pay an annual fee as follows:
[Amended 10-22-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-53; 12-10-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-59]
Cat Licenses
Spayed/Neutered
Non-Spayed/Neutered
Municipal fee
$10
$18
Total
$10
$18
(2) 
After the last day of March, a late fee of $3 shall be imposed for any cat, except for cats:
(a) 
Reaching the licensing age after the expiration of the licensing period as verified by a veterinarian.
(b) 
Acquired after the expiration of the licensing period as verified by a receipt.
(c) 
Currently licensed in another state.
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 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 the last day of March in the following year.
(2) 
Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall be required in the licensing year for any cat within the municipal limits of the City of Vineland. 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. 
Loss of license. If a license tag or sleeve has been misplaced or lost, the Department of Licenses and Inspections may issue a duplicate license or registration sleeve for that particular cat at a fee of $1.
J. 
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.
K. 
Interfering with persons performing duties under this article. No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this article.
L. 
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 municipality and shall be dedicated and used for the following purposes only: for collecting, keeping and disposing of cats liable to seizure, for local prevention and control of rabies and for administering the provisions of this article.
M. 
Applicant for license. No license shall be issued for any cat in the name of any person who has not reached the legal age of majority.
[Added 11-25-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-78]
A. 
No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain more than six cats of licensing age at any one time in any residence or upon its grounds. Upon the effective date of this section, any person who lawfully and in compliance with this article owns, keeps, harbors or maintains more than six cats may continue the same but shall not own, keep, harbor or maintain any additional cat until such number of cats is less than six, at which point the six-cat limitation will thereafter be in effect.
B. 
This section shall not apply to any duly licensed business, organization or facility that is a veterinary establishment, kennel, breeder, pet shop, animal shelter, animal rescue or animal adoption agency.
A. 
Any person who violates any provision of this article, except those listed in Subsection B of this section, shall be subject to a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $500 for each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of the City. Any person who refuses or neglects to pay forthwith the amount of a judgment rendered against him and the costs and charges incident thereto shall be committed by the court to the county jail for a period not exceeding 10 days in the case of a first conviction, and in the case of a conviction for a second, subsequent or continuing violation, for a period not exceeding 30 days.
B. 
Any person who violates § 224-71B of this article shall be subject to a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $500 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 90 days, or to both, in the discretion of the court.
C. 
Any person who violates any provision of this article shall be subject to an additional fine of $50 if that violation pertains to a cat that is not spayed or neutered and is owned by the person violating such provision.
D. 
Any person who violates any provision of this article for a second time shall be subject to an additional fine of $50 for such second offense.
E. 
Any person who violates any provision of this article for a third time shall be subject to an additional fine of $50 for such third offense.
F. 
In the event any person violates § 224-19, Running at large, of this chapter in addition to any two violations of this article, whether such violations occurred before or after such violation of § 224-19, then such cat involved in such violation of § 224-19, if not spayed or not neutered, shall be mandatory spayed or neutered at the owner's expense. In the event that a licensed veterinarian determines that mandatory spaying or neutering is detrimental to the health the cat, then such procedure shall not be performed.