[Adopted 7-12-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-15]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any free-roaming, feral, or barn cat that may be cared for
by one or more residents of the immediate area and which has no discernible
form of ownership identification.
A person who may provide care, including food, water, shelter
or medical care, to a community cat. A community cat caregiver shall
not be considered to be the owner, custodian, harborer, controller,
or keeper of a community cat.
A group of cats that congregates, more or less, together
as a unit.
A cat that is socialized to humans and is appropriate as
a companion for humans.
The removal of the one-fourth-inch tip of community cat's
left ear, performed while the cat is under anesthesia by a licensed
veterinarian and designed to be an indication that the community cat
has been sterilized and vaccinated for rabies.
A cat that: a) is born in the wild or is the offspring of
an owned or feral cat and is not socialized; b) is a formerly owned
cat that has been abandoned and is no longer socialized; or c) any
nonferal cat that congregates with a colony shall be deemed to be
a part of the colony.
Disturbing of the peace by: a) habitually or continually
howling, crying or screaming, or b) the habitual and significant destruction,
desecration or soiling of property against the wishes of the owner
of the property.
Trap, neuter, return.
A program pursuant to which feral and stray cats are trapped,
neutered or spayed, vaccinated against rabies and returned to the
location where they congregate.
A.
Purpose. To permit implementation of a community cat program (CCP)
in Lindenwold, New Jersey, for the purpose of reducing the population
of feral and free-roaming cats, benefiting public health, improving
the quality of life for residents, and ensuring the humane treatment
of community cats.
B.
Implementation. The Animal Control Officer (Animal Services) shall
administer and implement the programs set forth in this article in
accordance with applicable guidelines and standards as set forth in
state and local statutes.
C.
Community cats.
(1)
The following community cat requirements are hereby established:
(a)
Community cats may be cared for on the private property of the
caregiver or upon the property of another with the permission of the
owner or property manager.
(b)
All community cat caregivers shall make reasonable efforts to
have all free-roaming cats within their care sterilized, vaccinated
against rabies, and ear-tipped for easy identification. Community
cat caregivers shall have 30 days from the time they render care to
a community cat to arrange for sterilization, rabies vaccination and
eartipping or to be placed on a waiting list if no appointment can
be scheduled with 30 days.
(c)
All community cat caregivers are required to make reasonable
efforts to provide certain necessities to each community cat under
his/her care on a regular/ongoing basis, including, but not limited
to, proper nutrition, adequate quantities of visibly clean and fresh
water and medical care as needed. If medical care is unavailable or
too expensive, the community cat caregiver must not allow the cat
to suffer. Feeding is permitted during daylight hours only. Food must
be offered to cats in a container and shall not be dumped on the ground.
Any food remaining after cats have eaten must be removed before dark.
Feeding areas must be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.
(d)
Community cat caregivers shall make reasonable attempts to remove
young kittens from the field for domestication.
(2)
Community cats meeting the requirements of this section are exempt
from any licensing, stray, and at-large provisions of this article.
(3)
Animal Services shall have the right to remove or authorize the removal
of any free-roaming cat or community cat because of immediate public
health or safety concerns.
(4)
No community cat shall be released at any governmentally owned or
managed park or real property, natural area, area deemed as environmentally
sensitive land or on any easement adjacent to such lands without approval
from the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Lindenwold.
(5)
Trapping of community cats by those who are not community cat caregivers,
as defined above, or an Animal Control Officer employed by the Borough
is prohibited unless the person trapping the cats is doing so for
the purpose of providing medical attention for a sick or injured cat
or for the purpose of TNR. Persons who trap free-roaming cats for
the purpose of TNR must comply with the provisions of this article
to be considered a "community cat caregiver."
(6)
Healthy community cats shall be immediately returned to the location
at which they were found, released to a caregiver or adopted. Prior
to being returned to the location at which they were found or released
to a caregiver, community cats shall be sterilized, eartipped while
under anesthesia by a licensed veterinarian, and vaccinated for rabies.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever such cat is visibly injured
or diseased and appears to be suffering, and it reasonably appears
that such cat cannot be expeditiously cured and returned to the field,
transferred to a humane society or private animal nonprofit organization
or placed in foster care, then Animal Services, acting in good faith
and upon reasonable belief, may humanely euthanize the cat upon the
advice of a licensed veterinarian.
(7)
Nuisance Abatement and Resolution.
(a)
A community cat that:
[1]
Habitually howls, squawks or causes other objectionable noise
resulting in a serious annoyance to a reasonable person shall be deemed
to be committing an act in violation of this section; or
[2]
Disturbs the peace by habitually or repeatedly destroying, desecrating
or soiling public or private property shall constitute a public nuisance.
(b)
Animal Services shall investigate an alleged violation of this
section upon the receipt of a sworn affidavit of complaint in a form
provided by Animal Services, signed by the individual making the complaint
and who resides where the violation occurred or in close vicinity
of the alleged violation. For the enforcement of their affidavit,
it must specify the address or location of the alleged violation,
the nature, time and date(s) of the act, the name and address of the
caregiver, if known, and a description of the animal, if known.
(c)
Animal Services, upon the receipt of sworn affidavit of complaint
as provided for in this section, may issue a citation to the caregiver
of any animal alleged to be in violation of this section.
D.
Domesticated cats. The owner of an unneutered domesticated cat shall
not permit the cat to roam off the owner's property unsupervised.
The Office of Animal Control 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 disease.
B.
The right to seize/remove a cat from a colony that is creating a
nuisance as defined above and the caregiver has been given 15 days
to remove and relocate the cat and has failed to do so.
