[1972 Code § 61-1; New]
As used in this Article:
Shall mean dog, cat or domestic animal.
Shall mean any person or agency designated by the Borough
and certified by the State to enforce the provisions of this Article.
Shall mean any member of the domestic feline species; male,
female or altered.
Shall mean any cat which has attained the age of seven months,
or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Shall mean any room or group of rooms, cage, or exhibition
pen, not part of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
Shall mean the Board of Health or any designated representative
thereof charged with administering the issuance and/or revocation
of permits and licenses under the provisions of this Article.
Shall mean rendered permanently incapable of reproduction
as certified by a licensed veterinarian.
Shall mean and include, when applied to the proprietorship
of a cat, 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.
[1972 Code § 61-2A]
No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven
months of age within the Borough unless such cat is vaccinated and
licensed. The provisions of this section do not apply to cats held
in a cattery, or those held by a State or Federally licensed research
facility, or a veterinary establishment where cats are received or
kept for diagnostic, medical, surgical or other treatments, or licensed
animal shelters, pounds, kennels, or pet shops.
[1972 Code § 61-2B]
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 10-26.4.
[1972 Code § 61-2C]
A certificate of vaccination against rabies executed by a licensed
veterinarian must be presented to the Borough Clerk or his designee
prior to the issuance of a license.
[1972 Code § 61-2D]
Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such vaccination
for a specified period of time by the Board of Health upon presentation
of a veterinarian's certificate stating that, because of an infirmity
or other physical condition or regimen of therapy, the inoculation
of such cat shall be deemed inadvisable.
[1972 Code § 61-3A; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of licensing
age shall annually apply for and procure from the Borough Clerk or
other official designated by the Governing Body of the Borough to
license cats, a license for each cat so owned, kept or harbored.
[1972 Code § 61-3B; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age or of any
cat which attains licensing age shall make application for a license
within 10 days after such acquisition or age attainment. This requirement
will not apply to a nonresident keeping a cat within the Borough for
a period not exceeding 90 days.
[1972 Code § 61-3C; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Borough
any cat licensed in another State, or in another municipality within
the State, for the current year, and bearing a registration tag or
sleeve, and shall keep same or permit same to be kept within the Borough
for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license.
Any resident of the Borough who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Borough any unlicensed cat of licensing age and shall keep same or permit same to be kept within the Borough for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license for each such cat, excepting and subject to the provision for a nonresident as set forth in subsection 10-27.2 above.
[1972 Code § 61-3D; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings
of the cat for which a license is sought and whether it is of a long-
or short-haired variety; also the name, street and post office address
of the owner and the person who shall keep or harbor such cat. The
information on the application and the registration number issued
for the cat shall be preserved for a period of three years by the
Borough Clerk or other official designated to license cats in the
Borough.
[1972 Code § 61-3E; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
License forms shall be furnished by the Borough Clerk and shall
be numbered serially and shall bear the year of issuance and the name
of the municipality.
[1972 Code § 61-3F; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
A license shall not be granted for any cat unless the owner thereof provides evidence that the cat to be licensed and registered has been inoculated with a rabies vaccine of a type approved by and administered in accordance with the recommendations of the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Human Services, or has been certified exempt as provided in subsection 10-26.4 above. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian, or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.
[1972 Code § 61-3G; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
A license shall be issued after payment of a fee of $5 for each
unneutered cat and $3 for each neutered cat; for five or more cats,
a group fee of $15 for neutered and $25 for unneutered cats will be
charged. A person who fails to obtain a license as required within
the time period specified in this subsection will be subject to a
delinquent fee of $2 per license issued.
[1972 Code § 61-3H; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
The person applying for the license shall pay the fee fixed or authorized. The fee for the renewal of license shall be the same as for the original and said license, and renewal thereof shall expire on May 31 in the following year. Upon presentation of a current license from another municipality, along with evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption as provided in subsection 10-27.6 above, a Borough license shall be issued for the remainder of the licensing year without charge, as a courtesy.
[1972 Code § 61-3I; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
If a license has been misplaced or lost, the Borough Clerk may
issue a duplicate license for that particular cat at a fee of one
($1.00) dollar.
[1972 Code § 61-3J; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
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.
[1972 Code § 61-3K; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized
or empowered to perform any duty under this Article.
[Ord. No. 95-22; New; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
License fees and other moneys collected or received under the
provisions of this Article shall be forwarded to the Chief Financial
Officer of the Borough and shall be placed in a special account for
cats and dogs 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 and dogs liable to seizure, for local prevention
and control of rabies and for administering the provisions of the
Article. Any balance remaining in the account in excess of the total
amount paid into the account during the two fiscal years preceding
the present year shall be paid over to the municipality and become
part of current surplus.
[1972 Code § 61-3M; New; Ord. No.
OR:11/08]
Any cat found running at large may be impounded by the Animal
Control Officer and/or a Borough police officer. Any cat which has
been alleged to have bitten or scratched any person may be impounded
for purposes of observation as to rabies. Such officer may go upon
private property (but not into an inhabited building without consent
of the occupant thereof) to so impound such cat.
Any cat may be impounded for running at large. If the cat is
not reclaimed by the owner, the cat may be destroyed. No cat so impounded
shall be returned to its owner unless proof can be shown that it has
a current rabies inoculation. The owner shall pay all expenses incurred
by reason of its detention, including the maintenance fee set by the
Animal Control Officer.
[1972 Code § 61-4N; Ord. No. OR:11/08]
Licenses shall be obtained in May each year with an additional
fee of $2 for delinquent licenses acquired after May. In addition,
those failing to obtain a license shall be subject to penalties set
forth in this Article.
[1972 Code § 61-4]
Except as otherwise provided in this Article, any person who
violates or who fails or refuses to comply with this Article shall
be liable to a penalty of not less than $20 nor more than $50 for
each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of the Borough of
Watchung.
