[Amended 11-28-1990 by Ord. No. 1]
A. 
Definitions. 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.
LICENSING AGE
The age of seven months.
OWNER
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat, shall include every person having a right of property or custody in such cat and every person who has such cat in his keeping or who harbors or maintains a cat or knowingly permits a cat to remain on or about any premises occupied by that person.
PERSON
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or institution.
B. 
Provisions relating to rabies vaccination of cats.
(1) 
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the Borough of Demarest unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed.
(2) 
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 B(3). All persons whose cats have a vaccination from a licensed veterinarian shall have a certificate or other identification evidencing said vaccination.
(3) 
Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the Local Board of Health upon presentation of a veterinarian's certificate stating that because of an infirmity or other physical condition the inoculation of such cat shall be deemed inadvisable.
C. 
Licensing requirements.
(1) 
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of licensing age shall, in the month of January of each year, procure a license and registration tag for each cat so owned, kept or harbored. It is strongly recommended that such person shall place upon such cat a collar or other device with the license number securely fastened or displayed thereto. Acceptable methods of displaying the license number shall include but are not limited to breakaway or elastic collars. License tags are not transferable and shall be obtained upon payment of the proper fees as set forth in Subsection C(6) below.
(2) 
The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age or of any cat which attains licensing age shall make application to the Borough for a license tag for such cat within 10 days after such acquisition or age attainment.
(3) 
Any valid New Jersey license tag issued by a New Jersey municipality shall be accepted by this municipality as evidence of compliance. Any person who shall bring into the Borough of Demarest any cat licensed in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag and who shall keep the same within the Borough for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration for each such cat. Any person who shall bring into this Borough any unlicensed cat and who shall keep the same within the Borough for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license.
(4) 
License forms and official tags shall be furnished by the Borough and shall be numbered serially. Copies of the license form shall be preserved for a period of three years.
(5) 
The Borough Clerk or other official designated by the Borough to license cats shall not grant any license and official registration tag unless the owner provides evidence that the cat to be licensed has been inoculated with a rabies vaccine administered by a duly licensed veterinarian.
(6) 
A license shall be issued after payment of a fee of $11 for each cat. The fee for the renewal of such license shall be the same as for the original. All licenses shall expire on December 31 in the year in which they were issued, regardless of the date upon which they were issued.
[Amended 10-30-2006 by Ord. No. 932; 12-3-2008 by Ord. No. 953]
(7) 
If a license tag is misplaced or lost, a duplicate license and tag may be issued for that particular cat at a fee of $2. Said duplicate shall also expire on December 31 of the year in which it was issued.
(8) 
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.
(9) 
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this article.
(10) 
Any person failing to pay by March 1 of each year the annual fees for a cat license as required under this Chapter 189, § 189-34 et seq., shall be required to pay, in addition to the annual fees, a late charge of $25.
[Added 5-24-2017 by Ord. No. 1043-17]
D. 
Disposition of fees collected. License fees and other moneys collected or received under the provisions of this article shall be placed in a special account separate from any of the other accounts of the Borough and shall be used for the following purposes only: collecting, keeping and disposing of cats liable to seizure; local prevention and control of rabies; and administering the provisions of this article. Any unexpected balance remaining in such special account shall be retained until the end of the third fiscal year following and may be used for any of the purposes set forth in this subsection. At the end of said third fiscal year following and at the end of each fiscal year thereafter, there shall be transferred from such special account to the general funds of the municipality any amount then in such account which is in excess of the total amount paid unto the special account during the last two fiscal years next preceding.