[Adopted 6-1-2016 by Ord.
No. 2305]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any agency contracted or hired by the Borough to coordinate
and monitor the TNR Program.
Any person who provides food, water or shelter to or otherwise
cares for a cat only at the cat sanctuary.
Any cat that is not a feral cat and is over the age of six
months.
The only location designated by the Mayor and Council to
serve as a sanctuary, meaning a place where feral cats can be placed
and where provision is made for their living and well being. The said
cat sanctuary shall be enclosed to prevent cats from free roaming.
It is the intent of this article that the cat sanctuary be operated
and maintained at no cost to the Borough.
Any person or agency employed by the Board of Health who
is authorized to investigate violations of laws and regulations concerning
cats, and to issue citations in accordance with New Jersey law and
this code.
A cat that is socialized to humans and is appropriate as
a companion for humans.
A house, apartment, store or other building, whether or not
used or designated for use as a dwelling.
A straight-line cutting of the tip of the left ear of a cat
by a licensed veterinarian while the cat is anesthetized.
The immediate "family group" occupying one dwelling unit.
To give, place, expose, deposit, distribute or scatter any
edible material.
A cat which is completely or substantially unsocialized to
humans. The usual and consistent temperament of a feral cat is extreme
fear and resistance to contact with humans. Feral cats are either
born in the wild, the offspring of tame or feral cats and not socialized;
or formerly tame cats who have been abandoned and have reverted to
an untamed state.
Although not permitted, an individual feral cat or group
of cats which congregate together outside as a unit. Any nonferal
cats who congregate with a multiple-cat colony shall be deemed part
of it.
A situation where one or more cats are disturbing the peace
by habitually or continually howling, crying or screaming, or unreasonably
destroying, desecrating or soiling on private property against the
wishes of the owner of the property.
A cat (domestic or feral) including ear clipped (feral) that
free roams and creates a nuisance, either individually or in conjunction
with other cats, as defined above.
Any person, firm, corporation, partnership, association,
trust, estate, or any other legal entity.
A cat which is regularly off the property of the owner, is
not under the physical control and restraint of the owner and is not
regularly provided with food by the owner.
A shelter that provides protection from rain, sun, and other
elements that is adequate to protect the health of the cat.
A cat which is socialized to humans and is appropriate as
a companion for humans.
Trap, neuter and return or relocate.
A committee of unspecified number appointed by the Mayor and Council from time to time to serve for a term of one year, or the balance of a year, so all terms will expire on December 31, or until the successors qualify, in each and every year. The TNR Committee will be charged with the duties specified in § 131-51 of this article.
A person appointed by the Mayor and Council who shall be
a member of the TNR Committee, but who shall serve as the lead person
on that committee.
A program pursuant to which feral and stray cats are trapped,
neutered or spayed, vaccinated against rabies, ear tipped and returned
to the established cat sanctuary.
A.
Adequate food and water. Owners of domesticated cats shall provide
appropriate and adequate food, water and shelter for their cats.
B.
Cat not to create a nuisance. The owner of a domesticated cat shall
exercise reasonable care to guard against the cat creating a nuisance.
C.
Cats are not permitted to become free roaming.
D.
Unspayed and unneutered cats. The owner of a sexually intact (not
spayed or neutered) domesticated cat shall not permit the cat to roam
unsupervised.
E.
Abandonment prohibited. An owner shall not abandon a domesticated
cat. Domesticated cats may be surrendered to a shelter or a rescue
organization (not the cat sanctuary). The Ridgefield cat sanctuary
is not a depository for feral cats from other municipalities or by
other persons.
Feral cat colonies shall be permitted only at the cat sanctuary
and caregivers shall be responsible to maintain them only at the cat
sanctuary in accordance with the terms and conditions of this article.
It shall be the duty of the animal control provider to:
A.
Provide training for the cat sanctuary caregivers;
B.
Help to resolve any complaints over the conduct of a caregiver or
of cats within the sanctuary; and
C.
Be responsible for any cost as provided in the Borough agreement
with reference to the TNR Program.
D.
A feral cat(s) including abandoned domestic cats discovered on properties
within the Borough of Ridgefield outside of the TNR sanctuary are
to be reported and will be addressed by Animal Control within two
weeks. Animal Control reserves the right to monitor the number of
feral cats admitted to the cat sanctuary to prevent overcrowding and
has the ability to make other arrangements for the disposition of
feral cats trapped under this program when necessary. Animal Control
reserves the right to consult with the supervising veterinarian or
a private licensed veterinarian to refuse admission to the sanctuary
for a feral cat harboring an infectious disease or a cat that is deemed
too sick or disabled to be humanely maintained in a sanctuary environment.
E.
Only the animal control provider can authorize the trapping of a
nuisance cat. The animal control provider will make arrangements for
trapping of a nuisance cat(s) when requested by a resident(s) and
will provide a trap on loan with instructions for proper usage.
It shall be the duty of the TNR Committee to:
A.
Help resolve any complaints over the conduct of a sanctuary caregiver
or of cats within the cat sanctuary;
B.
Maintain records provided by sanctuary caregivers on the registration
and size, as well as the vaccination and spay/neuter records of cats
in the cat sanctuary;
C.
Report semiannually in writing to the Borough Code Official on the
status of the sanctuary, including data on the number and gender of
all cats in the sanctuary, the number of cats who died or otherwise
ceased being a part of the sanctuary during the prior six-month period,
the number of kittens born to the sanctuary cats and their disposition,
the number of cats and kittens spayed and neutered and the number
of cats and kittens placed in permanent homes as companion cats.
D.
Provide the semiannual report forms to caregivers and provide assistance
upon request by the caregiver in the preparation of the forms.
E.
Suggest to the animal control provider that the provider authorize
the trapping of free roaming nuisance cats. The animal control provider
will make arrangements for trapping of nuisance cats.
F.
See to it that the cat sanctuary is operated properly.
It shall be the duty of feral cat caregivers to:
A.
TNR cats are registered as sanctuary cats. Sanctuary registered cats
are required to be vaccinated against rabies annually. Household domestic
cats are subject to the Borough licensing ordinance and Borough allowable
annual number ordinance.
B.
Take steps to get all cats in the sanctuary population spayed/neutered
by a licensed veterinarian. It is the caregiver responsibility to
make arrangements with the designated shelter or a licensed veterinarian
to vaccinate the sanctuary population and have vaccinations updated
annually or as needed under the direction of the licensed veterinarian.
C.
Maintain digital photos of each cat in the sanctuary and copies of
documents evidencing that the cats have been vaccinated, spayed/neutered
and ear tipped; providing food and water for sanctuary cats;
D.
Observe the sanctuary cats and keep a record of any illnesses or
unusual behavior noticed in any sanctuary cats;
E.
Take steps, in the event that kittens are born to a sanctuary cat,
to notify the animal control provider to remove the kittens and mother
from the sanctuary immediately. The kittens and mother will be cared
for at the designated shelter until the kittens are weaned. The mother
cat will be spayed and returned to the sanctuary and the kittens will
be placed for adoption either by the designated shelter or placed
with foster homes, rescue organizations or veterinary offices for
the purpose of subsequent permanent placement;
F.
Report semiannually in writing to the TNR Committee who shall forward
said report to the Board of Health on the status of the sanctuary,
the total number of cats in the sanctuary, including data on the number
and gender of all cats in the sanctuary, the number of cats who died
or otherwise ceased being a part of the sanctuary during the prior
six-month period, the number of kittens born to sanctuary cats and
their disposition, the number of cats and kittens spayed and neutered
and the number of cats and kittens placed in permanent homes as companion
cats;
G.
Obtaining proper medical attention either from the designated shelter
or a private licensed veterinarian for any sanctuary cat who appears
to require it;
H.
Undergoing training for themselves and their responsible substitutes
in the proper management of the sanctuary as developed and verified
by the animal control provider;
I.
Setting up consistent and monitored feeding schedules at the sanctuary.
Feeding shall be limited to daylight hours. All remaining food must
be removed daily;
J.
"Ear tip" all cats with a single cut preferably on the left ear;
and
K.
Request authorization from the animal control provider to have trapped
feral cats spay/neutered at the location designated by the animal
control provider and to provide transportation to and from the designated
location and to be subsequently relocated to the sanctuary.
The following sections of the Borough Code shall not apply to the cat sanctuary managed by the TNR Program or to any person or organization that is providing care at the cat sanctuary and is taking steps to trap and sterilize animals: § 131-27.3, Licensing.
Any person undertaking the duties and responsibilities of a cat sanctuary caregiver shall first be registered with the Committee at no cost. A registered caregiver shall not be considered an owner or be subject to regulations governing ownership or control of an animal, except as specified in this article. Unregistered cat sanctuary caregivers shall not be exempt from the provisions of existing ordinances as provided in § 131-53.
The Borough shall retain the following rights:
A.
The right to seize or remove from the sanctuary cats which have not
been vaccinated against rabies and who are demonstrating signs of
the disease.
B.
The right to seize or remove from the sanctuary a cat which is creating
a nuisance.
C.
The right to replace or remove a caregiver who fails to comply with
the responsibilities and requirements of this article after reasonable
notice is provided to the caregiver of noncompliance.
D.
The right to dissolve the cat sanctuary should there not be enough
caregivers to adequately take care of the cats and the sanctuary.
The requirements of this article notwithstanding, the Health
Officer, code officials and police officers may investigate any nuisance
complaint or emergency. If a health officer, code official or police
officer determines that an ear-tipped feral sanctuary cat is causing
a nuisance as defined by this article, the Health Officer, code official
or police officer shall contact the animal control provider to remove
the cat. Only the Animal Control Officer and supervising veterinarian
can determine if the cat is eligible to be returned to the sanctuary.
The operation of the cat sanctuary designated by the Mayor and
Council shall be under the authority of the Health Officer and Animal
Control Officer. The TNR Committee will see to it that the sanctuary
is operated and maintained in accordance with generally accepted standards
for operation of similar type facilities, as promulgated by the Health
Officer and Animal Control Officer. The operation of same shall include
the maintenance of a proper structure to provide protection from the
elements, the scheduling of regular feedings followed by a cleanup,
and the maintenance of the overall health of the cats who congregate
or live at the sanctuary.
This article shall be enforced by the Health Officer, code official
or Police Department and any other department herein designated by
the Borough Administrator.
Not later than March 1, 2017, the Borough shall assess the effectiveness
of the TNR Program and the provisions of this article, and make recommendations
for discontinuance, changes, etc. The article, however, shall continue
as provided until specifically rescinded or amended.
