[Ord. No. 7-2015]
Any person who, in accordance with an approved trap neuter
return program, will trap neuter and return, vaccinate for rabies,
ear tip, provide routine care, including medical treatment, shelter,
food and water, or has temporary custody of a community feral cat(s)
for the purpose while establishing it as a TNVM colony.
Cats who are unowned or loosely owned; community cats are
comprised of both strays and feral cats.
To give, place, expose, deposit, distribute or scatter any
edible material with the intention of feeding, attracting or enticing
wildlife, feral or community cats.
Any homeless, wild, or untamed cat which is unsocialized
to humans and has a temperament of extreme fear of, and resistance
to, contact with humans.
An individual cat or group of community cats that congregates.
Although not every cat in a colony may be feral, any non-feral cats
that routinely congregate with a colony shall be deemed to be a part
of it.
Any animal, which lives in the wild and has not been trained
to live in a human environment, which has the potential for attacking
humans and/or causing property damage.
Therapeutic facility, humane society, animal shelter, animal
rescue or welfare groups, or assistance animal training facilities
(recognized by federal or state law as nonprofit).
Disturbing the peace by:
Any individual, corporation, company, partnership, firm,
association, nonprofit animal establishment or political subdivision
of this State subject to municipal jurisdiction.
Lost and abandoned former pets who may be suitable for home
environments.
Also known as Trap, Neuter, and Return (TNR), a managed community
cat program that is viewed as a viable alternative to euthanasia wherein
feral and stray cats are trapped, neutered or spayed, vaccinated against
rabies and distemper, ear tipped, and returned to their original community
cat colony.
Any animals that are neither human nor domesticated.
[Ord. No. 7-2015]
For the protection of the health and welfare of the citizens,
it shall be unlawful to feed or bait wildlife including but not limited
to bears, deer, feral cats not covered in this chapter, Canada Geese,
wild turkeys, pigeons or waterfowl or other non-domesticated animals
in any manner within the Township. This article does not prohibit
baiting and the legal taking of fish or game, the feeding of confined
wildlife or farm animals that are displayed at petting zoos, parks,
rehabilitation centers, zoos or unconfined wildlife at environmental
education centers, or TNVM cat colonies that comply with the provisions
of this article.
[Ord. No. 7-2015]
TNVM cat colonies managed in accordance with the terms and conditions
of this article shall be permitted.
[Ord. No. 7-2015]
A.
Caregivers of TNVM community cat colonies shall implement proper
management to include as follows:
(1)
Assure responsibility and arrangements for feeding the cat or cat
colony regularly throughout the year, including weekends, holidays,
and vacations of the caregiver;
(2)
Kittens and cats that are tame enough to be adopted shall be neutered
and/or spayed and placed into permanent homes. In the event permanent
homes cannot be secured, those cats shall be placed at the Wayne Animal
Shelter;
(3)
Cats over the age of eight (8) weeks must be spayed or neutered by
a licensed veterinarian when age appropriate;
(4)
Arrange to have all trapped cats vaccinated for rabies, distemper
and any other vaccination or immunization requirement imposed by the
State and maintain all information on an individual medical card with
photo for each cat;
(5)
Identify all trapped cats by tipping the left ear;
(6)
Manage the health of the colony;
(7)
Provide adequate shelter (in number and quality) for colony cats
using best practices to provide the cats with protection from harm,
weather and any other elements and to minimize any nuisance;
(8)
Feeding of cats shall be provided at a minimum of once daily. Food/plates/dishes/containers
used to feed shall be removed within 60 minutes for any meal. Feeding
area shall be kept clean and maintained at all times to minimize any
nuisance and/or unsanitary conditions;
(9)
Make reasonable, good faith efforts, using best practices, to exclude
colony cats from yards, gardens or similar property upon request of
the property owner;
(11)
No feral or community cat(s) shall knowingly be brought into
a Township colony from another municipality;
(12)
Obtain written permission from the property owner if caregiver
is not the owner of the property where the TNVM community cat colony
is located.
[Ord. No. 7-2015]
[Ord. No. 7-2015]
The Township shall have the following rights:
A.
The right to seize or remove cats from a colony who are demonstrating
signs of rabies.
B.
The right to seize or remove cats from a colony which have not been
vaccinated against rabies and the caregiver has failed to respond
to notification about the non-compliance with the rabies vaccination.
C.
The right to seize or remove a cat from a colony which is creating
a nuisance, as defined within this article, if the caregiver fails
to comply within the time frame set forth by the Health Department
in the Notice of Violation.
D.
The right to seize or remove a colony of cats when the caregiver
regularly fails to comply with the requirements of this article. Unless
non-compliance threatens the life and safety of the public and/or
colony, the caregiver will first be given 60 days to recruit a replacement
caretaker or rescue organization. This does not preclude the Health
Department from pursuing any other violation of this article during
that time frame.
E.
The right to seize or remove any feral and/or community cat knowingly
brought into a colony located within the Township from another municipality.
F.
An Animal Control Officer who has trapped a cat whose left ear has
been tipped shall release the cat where it was originally trapped
unless the cat is injured or sick and requires medical attention.
G.
Any identified community cat colonies may be inspected periodically
by Animal Control Officers to ensure compliance with provisions of
this article.
H.
Animal Control may, at any time, seize or trap feral cats congregating
and living outside of a managed TNVM program.
[Ord. No. 7-2015]
The requirements of this article notwithstanding, Animal Control
Officers and Police Officers may investigate any nuisance complaint.
If an Animal Control Officer or Police Officer determines that an
eartipped, community colony cat is causing a nuisance as defined by
this article, the caregiver will be notified that they are in violation
of this article and shall abate the nuisance within the time frame
set forth by the Health Department. In the case of an emergency, the
Animal Control Officer or Police Officer may remove the cat, but within
24 hours the Township must provide the caregiver, if known, with notice
of the cat's whereabouts and allow them an opportunity to retrieve
the cat for treatment, return, or relocation.
[Ord. No. 7-2015]
A.
No feral cat colony shall be permitted to be established within any
area designated by federal or state agencies as areas reserved for
protected or endangered species of birds or other wildlife, or in
any federal, state or local designated park or preserve.
B.
Colonies of feral cats that are not part of a TNVM community cat
program are prohibited.
C.
No person shall feed any feral or community cat within the Township unless all requirements are met as set forth in Section 68-73.
D.
No person shall bring a feral or community cat from another municipality
to create a community cat colony or into an existing community cat
colony located within the Township.
E.
Persons found to be maintaining feral cats or colonies of feral cats
that are not part of a TNVM program managed in accordance with this
article shall be subject to all costs associated with trapping, spaying/neutering,
housing, vaccinating, eartipping, medical care, nuisance abatement
and/or euthanasia in addition to any penalties set forth in this article.
