[Adopted 8-17-1992 by Ord. No. 92-11 (Ch. 90, Part 3, of the 1987 Code)]
As used in this Article III, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ABANDONED CAT
A cat of any age which shall be left unattended and at large for a period of 72 hours or more.
CAT
Any animal of the feline species, male or female.
KEEPER
Any person having custody or control over a cat or permitting a cat to remain on the premises under his control.
NEUTERED
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified by a licensed veterinarian.
OWNER
Every person having a right of property in such cat, and every person keeping or harboring such cat or feeding such cat for more than 48 hours.
PERSON
An individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association of persons.
POUND
An establishment for the confinement of cats taken into custody by the Animal Warden.
PUBLIC NUISANCE
A cat that damages either public or private property or harms the lawful users or occupants thereof.
STRAY CAT
A cat having no known owner or custodian or known place of care or shelter.
The Dog Licensing Official is hereby designated as the official charged with the enforcement of the provisions of this Article III.
A. 
No person shall own, keep or harbor any cat over four months of age within the Town of Belvidere unless such cat has been licensed and 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.
B. 
Any exemption from vaccination must be obtained by the owner, in writing, from a licensed veterinarian and presented to the Town Clerk at the time the cat license is sought.
[Added 6-2-1997 by Ord. No. 97-13]
A. 
Written application for a cat license shall be made to the Town and shall include the name and address of the owner and the name, breed, color, age and sex of the cat. The applicant shall pay the prescribed licensing fee and provide proof of current rabies vaccination.
B. 
The licensing period shall be for one year. Licenses shall be renewed by January 31 of each year. Application for a license must be made within 30 days after obtaining a cat over four months of age. New residents must apply for a license within 30 days of establishing residence. All other cats must be licensed upon or prior to the cat's reaching four months of age.
[Amended 5-15-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-10]
A license shall be issued after payment of a fee of $10 for each unneutered cat and $5 for each neutered cat. A late fee of $5 per month for every month after January 31 that the delinquency continues, plus the required license fee as provided in this article, for the cat license, together with any other fines due to summons issued that may be imposed on them for failure to obtain a cat license before February 1.
A. 
Upon acceptance of the license application and fee, the Town shall issue a durable license tag, including an identifying number, the year of issuance, the municipality and the state. The license tag shall be attached to the collar of the cat so as to assist in the identification of a lost cat.
B. 
In case a license tag is lost or destroyed, a duplicate will be issued by the Clerk upon presentation of a receipt showing the payment of the license fee for the current year and the payment of a fee of $1 for such duplicate.
C. 
License tags shall not be transferable from one cat to another, and no refunds shall be made should any owner leave the Town before expiration of the license period.
D. 
The provisions of this section shall not be intended to apply to cats whose owners are nonresidents temporarily within the Town.
Any person who owns, keeps or harbors any cat located within the Town of Belvidere or permits a cat to enter the corporate limits of the Town of Belvidere shall exercise sufficient and proper care and control over such animal at all times so as to prevent the animal from becoming a public nuisance or otherwise violating this Article III.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any cat shall permit it to soil, defile or commit any nuisance on any place where people congregate or walk or upon any public property whatsoever. This provision shall apply to all privately owned property in the Town except the property of the owner or keeper of the cat and the property owned or controlled by persons who have invited or permitted the owner or keeper of a cat to bring such cat upon the premises.
No person owning or keeping a cat shall permit such cat to become a public nuisance as defined herein.
Every female cat in heat shall be confined in a building or secure enclosure in such a manner that such female cat cannot come into contact with another cat except for planned breeding.
The Town Council may, by resolution, establish a pound and appoint an Animal Warden whose duties shall include the enforcement of the provisions of this Article III. The Town Council may, when authorized by resolution, contract with the Animal Warden for the collection, keeping, redemption or disposition of cats when taken into custody in accordance with the provisions hereof. The Animal Warden or authorized agent shall be empowered to take into his custody and impound cats reasonably believed by him to be stray or abandoned as defined herein and otherwise enforce the requirements of this article.
The Animal Warden designated and authorized by the Town Council to enforce the provisions of this Article III shall, upon receipt of a complaint that a violation has taken place, investigate the complaint and, if a violation is found by him to exist, issue a summons to the owner or keeper or, if the cat is a stray or abandoned cat, take such cat into custody for a period of seven days prior to disposition by him in accordance with the provisions of this Article III. In addition, any cat that is the subject of a complaint may be taken into custody if it bears any identification of ownership and has a known owner or keeper but such owner or keeper cannot be located after reasonable efforts are made by the Animal Warden to deliver such cat to the owner or keeper.
If a cat bearing identification or evidence of ownership or place of abode is taken into custody pursuant to the provisions of this Article III, the Animal Warden or other authorized person shall immediately thereafter notify the owner or occupant of such place where the animal was found and taken into custody and that it may be claimed at a designated location subject to the charges and fees hereinafter set forth. The Animal Warden shall maintain a record of such notifications, including the date and name and address of persons notified.
[Amended 7-5-1994 by Ord. No. 94-10]
A. 
When any cat has been seized in accordance with the provisions of this article and has been detained for seven days after such notice can be given as set forth in § 163-35 or has been detained for seven days after seizure when no notice has been given as set forth in § 163-35 and if the owner or person keeping or harboring said cat has not claimed said cat and paid all expenses incurred by reason of its detention as hereinafter specified and if the cat is unlicensed at the time of seizure and the owner or person keeping or harboring said cat has not produced a license and registration tag for said cat, the Animal Control Officer may cause the cat to be destroyed in a manner causing as little pain as possible. The following charges shall be paid to the Town of Belvidere as expenses incurred by reason of detention in accordance with the provisions of this section:
Item
Fee
Impounding any cat
$25
Transportation
$10
Giving notice
$5
Releasing cat to a new owner when cat is unclaimed or abandoned
$10
Destruction of cat
$12
B. 
The charges specified herein shall be paid to the Town Clerk of Belvidere, and a receipt shall be delivered to the person paying such charges, which receipt will be the authority for the Animal Control Officer to release the cat to the owner or person claiming the cat.
Any cat which has been taken into custody pursuant to this Article III and which has not been reclaimed during the custodial period may be claimed by any person willing to assume the responsibility of ownership and custodial charges as set forth above. Otherwise, the cat may be disposed of in as humane a manner as possible and in accordance with euthanasia procedures recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The Animal Warden or his authorized agent or any municipal officer or agent authorized and empowered to perform any duty under this Article III is hereby authorized to enter upon any premises to enforce the provisions of this Article III.
No more than four cats shall be kept, maintained or harbored for more than 90 days in any residential housing unit or on its grounds. This provision shall not apply to cats which have been owned prior to the effective date of this Article III.
[Amended 10-20-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-11; 4-2-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-08]
Any person violating the provisions of Article III, shall be punished by a fine of $75 for the first offense, a fine of $100 for the second offense, a fine of $150 for the third offense and, for the fourth and subsequent violation, shall be subject to a mandatory court appearance and such fine which the Municipal Court Judge deems appropriate.