Any person who harbors or possesses any cat for a period of
10 days or more shall, for the purpose of this article, be deemed
to be an owner of the cat so harbored or possessed.
A.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any cat shall allow the same
to run in or about the streets, highways or public places of the Township
of Greenwich or to run upon properties, lands and premises of another
without their permission.
B.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any cat shall permit or suffer
such cat to do any damage to any person or domestic animal or permit
it to do any damage to soil or defile any lawn, shrubbery, garden,
flowers, grounds or property of any person other than the owner.
No person shall abandon any cat within the Township of Greenwich.
The Township Official of the Township of Greenwich shall enforce
the provisions of this article.
[Added 9-20-2021 by Ord.
No. 13-2021]
A.
Community cat colonies shall be permitted, and caregivers shall be
entitled to maintain them, in accordance with the terms and conditions
of this article.
B.
TNVR programs shall be permitted in accordance with this terms and
conditions of this article. However, the TNVR program shall not supersede
or take the place of the provisions, rights, and responsibilities
of animal control officers under N.J.S.A. Title 4 and New Jersey Administrative
Code Chapter 8:23.
[Added 9-20-2021 by Ord.
No. 13-2021]
The Township of Greenwich may select a nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal
welfare organization to serve as the sponsor of the community cat
program. The sponsor shall oversee the activities of community cat
caregivers in accordance with a memorandum of understanding between
the Township of Greenwich and the community cat caregivers. Individuals
and organizations may apply to the sponsor to serve as caregivers.
A.
Sponsor requirements. It shall be the duty of the sponsor to:
(1)
Review and approve of colony caregivers;
(2)
Help to resolve any complaints over the conduct of a colony
caregiver or of cats within the colony;
(3)
Maintain records provided by colony caregivers on the size and
location of the colonies as well as the vaccination and spay/neuter
records of cats in the sponsor's colonies;
(4)
Report annually to the Township of Greenwich and the Gloucester
County Animal Shelter on the following:
(5)
Use due consideration to avoid the taking of rare, threatened
or endangered species under the Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation
Act, N.J.S.A. 23:2A-1 et seq.
B.
Community cat caregivers. Community cat caregivers must ensure community
cats are sterilized, vaccinated against the threat of rabies, microchipped,
and ear-tipped, and must cooperate with the Township of Greenwich
and the sponsor to abate any nuisance.
C.
Caregiver requirements. Caregivers are responsible for the following:
(1)
Registering the community cat with the sponsor;
(2)
Taking steps that are reasonably likely to result in the vaccination
of the colony population for rabies utilizing the three-year vaccine
and making reasonable efforts to update the vaccinations on cats that
can be recaptured;
(3)
Taking steps that are reasonably likely to result in the spay/neuter,
by a licensed veterinarian of at least 90% of the colony population;
(4)
Providing the sponsor with pictures of each cat on the colony
and records evidencing that the cats have been vaccinated and spayed/neutered;
(5)
Providing food, water and, if feasible, shelter for colony cats;
(6)
Observing the colony cats at least twice per week and keeping
a record of any illnesses or unusual behavior noticed in any colony
cats;
(7)
Obtaining the approval of the owner of any property, to which
the caregiver requires access to provide colony care;
(8)
In the event that kittens are born to a colony cat, the caregiver
shall take reasonable steps likely to result in the removal of the
kittens from the colony after they have been weaned, and the placement
of kittens in homes or foster homes for the purpose of subsequent
permanent placement;
(9)
Reporting annually to the sponsor on the status of the colony,
including data on the number and gender of all cats in the colony,
the number of cats that died or otherwise ceased being a part of the
colony during the year, the number of kittens born to colony cats
and their disposition and the number of cats and kittens placed in
permanent homes as companion cats; and
(10)
Obtaining proper medical attention to any colony cat that appears
to require it.
D.
Location of community cat colonies. All managed community cat colonies
must be maintained in compliance with trespassing and property laws.
Community cat colonies shall not be located in an area where the establishment
of a community cat colony would likely create a nuisance for adjacent
property owners; or proximate to environmentally sensitive areas critical
to endangered or threated wildlife species.
E.
Requirement for exemptions from certain provisions of this article.
All cats that are part of a municipally approved TNVR or community
cat colony program pursuant to this article must be sterilized, vaccinated
against the threat of rabies, microchipped and ear-tipped for easy
identification. If these requirements are met, the community cat is
exempted from licensing, stray and at-large provisions of this article.
[Added 9-20-2021 by Ord.
No. 13-2021]
Trapping of community cats by those who are not community cat
caregivers as defined in this article, sponsors, Animal Control Officers,
or members of law enforcement is prohibited unless the person trapping
the cat is doing so for the purpose of providing medical attention
for a sick or injured cat or for the purpose of TNVR. Persons who
trap free-roaming cats for the purpose of TNVR must comply with the
provisions of this article.
[Added 9-20-2021 by Ord.
No. 13-2021]
A.
Injured or sick ear-tipped cats trapped by an Animal Control Officer.
If an Animal Control Officer traps an injured or sick ear-tipped cat
that requires medical attention, the Animal Control Officer shall
scan the cat for a microchip. If a microchip is found which identifies
the cat or cat's colony, the officer shall contact the sponsor
or community cat caregiver of the cat who shall then arrange for medical
attention. If the injured or sick cat does not have a microchip and
cannot otherwise be identified by the Animal Control Officer, the
Animal Control Officer shall contact the sponsor who will arrange
for the cat to receive medical attention and return the cat to the
appropriate colony or place the cat in another appropriate placement.
B.
Ear-tipped cats inadvertently trapped by an Animal Control Officer.
An Animal Control Officer who traps an apparently healthy ear-tipped
cat shall immediately release the cat at the place it was trapped.
C.
Ear-tipped cats deliberately trapped by an Animal Control Officer.
Community caregivers/sponsor responsible for nuisance abatement. An
Animal Control Officer who deliberately traps an ear-tipped cat shall
scan the cat for a microchip. If a microchip is found which identifies
the cat or cat's colony, or if the officer is able to identify
the cat by another means, the officer shall contact the sponsor or
community cat caregiver of the cat with a description of the cat,
the microchip number, the location where the cat was trapped, and
the nuisance complaint which caused the Animal Control Officer to
set the trap.
D.
The requirement 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 ear-tipped
community cat is causing a nuisance as defined by this article, the
Animal Control Officer shall contact the sponsor. The sponsor shall
begin nuisance abatement procedures within 48 hours and make all reasonable
efforts to resolve the nuisance in as short a time period as possible,
not to exceed 30 days. If the sponsor fails to resolve the nuisance
or remove the cat within 30 days, the Animal Control Officer may remove
the cat.
E.
If an Animal Control Officer or police officer reasonably determines
that a cat is injured or poses a significant threat to public health
or safety, the officer may reduce the time that the sponsor has to
resolve the complaint, as necessary to protect the cat and public
health, before taking further action. In the case of an emergency,
the Animal Control Officer or police officer may remove the cat, but
within 24 hours the Animal Control Officer must provide the sponsor
with notice of the cat's whereabouts and allow the sponsor an
opportunity to retrieve the cat for treatment, return or relocations.
Factors to be considered during the nuisance abatement process shall
include:
(1)
Health and safety of the public; and other domestic animal and/or
pets;
(2)
Impact on threatened or endangered species, and the general
health of wildlife;
(3)
Recognition of the value of community cat colonies and TNVR
in managing community cat colonies;
(4)
The availability of devices and strategies to minimize nuisance
behavior by community cats that may have caused the complaint.
[Added 9-20-2021 by Ord.
No. 13-2021]
A.
The Township of Greenwich and the Gloucester County Animal Control
shall have the following rights:
(1)
The right to seize or remove cats from a colony or the release
location which have not been vaccinated against rabies and which are
demonstrating signs of rabies or other zoonotic diseases;
(2)
The right to seize or remove a cat from a colony or release
location which is creating a nuisance, as defined in this article,
after the community cat caregiver and sponsor have been given 30 days
to abate the nuisance or remove and relocate the cat and have failed
to do so. The caregiver must begin nuisance abatement procedures within
48 hours after being notified of a nuisance by an Animal Control Officer
and must take all reasonable steps to resolve the nuisance in as short
a time as possible, not to exceed 30 days.
(3)
The right to seize or remove a cat or colony of cats when the
community cat caregivers regularly fails to comply with the colony
care requirements of this article and the sponsor has not been able
to obtain a replacement or substitute caregiver within 30 days of
the notice to the caregiver and sponsor of the failure to comply with
this article. If one or more cats are in danger due to a caregiver's
lack of compliance, the sponsor may work with other local caregivers
to find a suitable replacement caregiver or relocate the cats.
(4)
Ordinance enforcement. The municipality shall have the following
rights:
(a)
The right to seize or remove cats from a colony that have not
been vaccinated against rabies and which are demonstrating signs of
the disease;
(b)
The right to seize or remove a cat from a colony or release
location which is creating a nuisance, as defined in this article,
after the community cat caregiver and sponsor have been given 30 days
to abate the nuisance or remove and relocate the cat and have failed
to do so;
(c)
The right to remove a colony of cats when the community cat
caregivers regularly fails to comply with the colony care requirements
of this article and the sponsor has not been able to obtain a replacement
or substitute caregiver within 30 days of the notice to the caregiver
and sponsor of the failure to comply with this article.
B.
The requirements of this article notwithstanding, Animal Control
Officers and police officers may investigate any nuisance complaint
and take enforcement action they deem necessary to protect the public
health and safety.
[Added 9-20-2021 by Ord.
No. 13-2021]
A.
Habitual or continuous howling, barking, crying or screaming. No
person shall permit habitual howling, crying or screaming which would
annoy or disturb a reasonable person. An "annoyance or disturbance"
for purposes of this section shall be defined as howling, crying,
or screaming continuously for a period of 10 minutes or more or intermittently
for 30 minutes or more. A violation of this section shall subject
the owner of the offending cat to the penalties for violation of this
chapter;
B.
The habitual and significant destruction, accumulation of feces,
desecration or soiling of property against the wishes of the owner
of the property, in particular, the creation of conditions leading
to the breeding of fleas or flies, odors or noises is prohibited;
C.
Habitually chasing or otherwise molesting passersby is prohibited;
D.
Habitually trespassing upon public or private grounds is prohibited;
E.
Or, as the case may be under existing local ordinance defining a
nuisance;
F.
Damage to property prohibited: No person owning or in control of
a cat shall allow it to damage any lawn, shrubbery, flowers or grounds
of any public park, public building or other public place within the
Township or upon any private property, or destroy or damage any structure
or equipment on any public park, public building, other public place
or upon any private property.
G.
A nonaltered, nonsterilized, or nonvaccinated cat running at large
is prohibited. It shall be a violation of this chapter for the owner
of any cat or approved TVNR community cat, where such cat has not
been spayed/neutered and vaccinated (and proof is shown thereof by
the owner) and licensed (except as set forth above for licensing exception)
in accordance with the requirements of this chapter and properly displaying
a tag as required, to allow such cat to run at large within the Township
of Greenwich.
[Amended 9-20-2021 by Ord. No. 13-2021]
Any person found to be in violation of or found to have failed
to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction
thereof, be subject to a fine of not less than $50 and not more than
$1,000. Each day of such violation or failure to comply shall constitute
a separate offense, and therefore are not subject to merger either
for the purposes of the violation or imposition of fines and penalties.
