As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
CATS
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female,
or altered.
CAT OF LICENSING AGE
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a full set of permanent teeth.
OWNER
When applied to the possession or control of a cat, shall
include every person having a right of property in such cat and every
person who has such cat in his or her keeping or who harbors or maintains
a cat or knowingly permits a cat to remain on or about any premises
occupied by that person.
Within the purview of this chapter, a cat shall be considered
a public nuisance if it has no known owner or custodian, or if it
has no known place of care or shelter, or if it habitually trespasses
upon or damages either private or public property, or annoys, bites,
scratches or harms lawful users or occupants thereof.
Any person who owns, keeps or harbors any cat at any place within the Township or who permits any cat to enter the limits of the Township shall exercise sufficient and proper care of and control over such animal at all times so as to prevent the same from becoming a public nuisance, as defined in §
105-3.
Except as otherwise provided in N.J.S.A. 4:19-1 et seq., any
person who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter shall,
upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine of $50 per offense.
Any person convicted of violating any provisions of this chapter within
one year of the date of a previous violation of this chapter and who
has been fined for the previous violation shall be sentenced by the
court to an additional fine as a repeat offender. The additional fine
imposed by the court upon said person for a repeated offense shall
be set by the Municipal Magistrate at a fine between $100 and $200;
and for a third offense, the fine shall be between $200 and $500,
again subject to the discretion of the Municipal Magistrate. The fine
for the first offense may be payable with the submission of a guilty
plea through the Violations Bureau and without necessity for a court
appearance. Any subsequent violations shall require a court appearance.