[Adopted 12-5-2002 by Ord. No. 14-02]
No person shall keep, harbor, or maintain more than eight cats
of licensing age at any one time in any residence or upon its grounds,
or in any business establishment or on its grounds. On the effective
date of this article, any owner of a lawfully licensed cat or cats
in excess of eight may continue to keep, care for, own, and maintain
all said licensed cats, but may not replace any such cat in excess
of eight. This section shall be exempt to duly licensed veterinary
establishments, pet shops, animal shelters, catteries, and kennels.
A.
It shall be unlawful for any person harboring, owning, or possessing any cat to permit the same to run at large. For the purpose of this section, "running at large" shall be defined to be the presence of a cat at any place except on the premises of the owner or the owner's designee on complaint of the police or Animal Control Officer or the resident of the premises to which the cat has strayed. "Running at large" shall further be defined as any cat which the Animal Control Officer has reason to believe is abandoned, diseased, injured or running at large. Any cat found running at large within the Township shall be taken into custody by the Animal Control Officer or any police officer of the Township. Any cat so taken into custody may be impounded as provided in § 145-32 or may be returned directly to the owner or to the person harboring or keeping the cat, if such person is known. In any event, whether the cat is impounded, or returned directly to its owner or other person keeping or harboring the cat, a redemption fee as set forth in Chapter 235, Fees, to cover expenses incurred in seizing the cat shall be collected by the Animal Control Officer or the police officer, as the case may be, from the owner or other person taking possession of the cat at the time of the return. If the Animal Control Officer or the police officer seizing the cat elect to return the cat directly to its owner or keeper, and such owner or person keeping the cat refuses to pay such redemption fee, the cat shall be impounded in accordance with the procedure established in § 145-32.[1]
B.
It shall be unlawful for any cat to be on any public beach or in
the water adjacent to any public beach within the Township.
No person shall abandon any cat, no matter what its age may
be, within the Township.
Any person who feeds, shelters, or otherwise cares for unlicensed stray, abandoned, or feral cats for a period of not less than 72 hours shall be deemed the owner of said cat or cats and shall be made to comply with the licensing requirements as set forth in § 145-21.
A.
The Animal Control Officer or any police officer of the Township
shall take into custody and impound or cause to be taken into custody
or impounded, and thereafter destroyed or disposed of as provided
in this article:
(1)
Any cat off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or
harboring the cat which the Animal Control Officer or police officer
has reason to believe is a stray, abandoned, or feral cat;
(2)
Any cat off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or
harboring the cat without a current registration tag on his or her
collar.
B.
If any cat so seized wears a collar or harness having inscribed thereon
or attached thereto the name and address or phone number of any person
or a registration tag, or that has any other identifying device, or
whose owner or person keeping or harboring said cat is otherwise known,
the Animal Control Officer or police officer of the Township shall
forthwith serve on the person a notice, in writing, stating that the
cat has been seized and will be liable to be disposed of or destroyed
if it has not been claimed within seven days after service of the
notice.
C.
A 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 the
person's usual or last known place of abode, or by delivering it to
the address given on the cat's collar or license application, or by
forwarding it by post in a prepaid letter addressed to the owner or
the person harboring or keeping the cat.
D.
When any cat so seized has been impounded and detained for seven days after the notice has been served when notice can be given as set forth above, or has been detained for seven days after seizure when notice has not been and cannot be given as above set forth, and if the owner or person keeping or harboring the cat has not claimed the cat and paid the redemption fee as provided in § 145-29, plus paid a maintenance fee per day, as set forth in Chapter 235, Fees, for each day the cat has been impounded, and if the cat was unlicensed at the time of the seizure and the owner or person keeping or harboring the cat has not produced a license and registration tag for the cat, the Animal Control Officer or any police officer of the Township may cause the cat to be destroyed in a manner causing as little pain as possible. No cat so caught and detained or procured, obtained, sent or brought to a pound or shelter shall be sold or otherwise be made available for the purpose of experimentation. Any person who sells or otherwise makes available any such cat shall be guilty of a disorderly persons offense.[1]
A.
The duty of care. No person having the care, custody, or control
of any cat or cats shall leave the cat or cats in any vacant building
or caged/tied upon any property without proper food, water, and shelter.
B.
Access to premises; seizure of cats. Any officer or agent authorized
or empowered to perform any duty under this article shall be authorized
to go upon any premises to seize for impoundment when such officer
is in pursuit of such cat or cats, except when upon the premises of
the owner of the cat if such owner is present and forbids the same.
