As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ABANDONMENT
Abandoning an animal in the person's custody without making reasonable arrangements for assumption of custody by another person.
ANIMAL
Any wild or domesticated warm-blooded creature.
ANIMAL CONTROL AUTHORITY
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
ANIMAL FEEDING
To give, place, expose, deposit, distribute or scatter any edible or other material with the intent of feeding, attracting or enticing any stray, feral or wild animal, and any conduct which a person knows, or reasonably should know, would result in the giving, placing, exposing, distributing or scattering of any edible or other material which would result in the feeding, attracting or enticing of any stray, feral or wild animal.
CAT
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 set of permanent teeth.
CATTERY
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
FERAL ANIMAL
A feline, either previously domesticated or not, which is now, has always been, or has become wildlife and/or stray.
HARBOR
The act of providing space or making available food or shelter in such a manner which attracts a dog(s), cat(s) or other animal.
LICENSING AUTHORITY
The Department 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.
NEUTERED
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified by a licensed veterinarian.
OWNER
When applied to the proprietorship of an animal, includes every person having a right of property or custody in such animal and every person who has such cat in his/her keeping or who harbors or maintains an animal or knowingly permits an animal to remain on or about any premises occupied by that person.
PERSON
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
A. 
Vaccination and license required; exceptions. No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the Township of East Hanover unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed. The provisions of this subsection 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.
B. 
Vaccination. All cats shall be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian in accordance with the latest Compendium of Animals Rabies Vaccines and Recommendations for Immunization published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, except as provided for in Subsection D.
C. 
Vaccination certificates. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended by the state.
D. 
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the Township Health Officer or his/her designee 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.
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of licensing age shall annually apply for and procure from the Department of Health, or other official designated by the governing body thereof by resolution to license cats in the municipality in which he/she resides, a license and official registration tag with license number or a registration sleeve for each cat so owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon such cat a collar or other device with the license number securely fastened or displayed thereto. Acceptable methods of displaying the license number shall include, but are not limited to, breakaway or elastic collars. License tags or sleeves are not transferable.
The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age or of any cat which attains licensing age shall make application for a license tag or sleeve for such cat within 10 days after such acquisition or age attainment. This requirement will not apply to a nonresident keeping a cat within the Township of East Hanover for no longer than 90 days.
A. 
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township of East Hanover any cat licensed in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag or sleeve and shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Township of East Hanover for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
B. 
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township of East Hanover any unlicensed cat and shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Township of East Hanover for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
A. 
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings of the cat for which license and registration are sought and whether it is of a long- or shorthaired variety and also the name, street and post office address of the owner and the person who shall keep or harbor such cat. No license shall issue to applicant maintaining only a Post Office Box Address or a non-residential address.
B. 
The information on said application and the registration number issued for the cat shall be preserved for a period of three years by the Department of Health or other local official designated to license cats in the municipality.
License forms and official tags or sleeves shall be furnished by the municipality and shall be numbered serially and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of the municipality.
No Township Health Official, Municipal Clerk or other official designated by the governing body of Township to license cats therein shall grant any such license and official registration tag or sleeve 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 by § 173-40 of this article. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.
A. 
The person applying for the license and registration tag shall pay a fee for the licensing of each cat and an additional sum for the registration tag of each cat, and for each annual renewal the fee for the license and for the registration tag shall be the same as for the original license and tag. Any person who fails to apply for and procure from the Department of Health a license and official registration tag for each cat by January 31 of each calendar year shall be charged a late fee. The fee for the licensing of each cat and an additional sum for the registration tag of each cat shall be as follows:
(1) 
Total fee, neutered animal: $10.
(2) 
Total fee, unneutered animal: $15.
(3) 
Reduced cat license fee for seniors (age 60 and above):
(a) 
Total fee, neutered animal: $7.
(b) 
Total fee, unneutered animal: $12.
(4) 
Late fee for cat license not obtained by January 31: $10.
A. 
A license from another municipality shall be accepted. The person applying for the license and registration tag and/or sleeve shall pay the fee fixed or authorized. The fee for the renewal of a license and registration tag or sleeve shall be the same as for the original, and said license, registration tag or sleeve and renewal thereof shall expire on January 31 of each year, in the following year.
B. 
Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall be required in the licensing year for any cat in the Township of East Hanover. Any valid New Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey municipality shall be accepted by this municipality as evidence of compliance.
If a license tag or sleeve has been misplaced or lost, the licensing officer may issue a duplicate license and/or registration sleeve for that particular cat at no fee.
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.
License fees and other moneys collected or received under the provisions of this article shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of the municipality and shall be placed in a special account separate from any of the other accounts of the municipality and shall be used for the following purposes only: for collecting, keeping and disposing of cats liable to seizure: for local prevention and control of rabies; for providing anti-rabies treatment under the direction of the Township Health Officer for any person known or suspected to have been exposed to rabies; and for administering the provisions of this article. Any unexpected balance remaining in such special account shall be retained until the end of the third fiscal year following and may be used for any of the purposes set forth in this section. At the end of said third fiscal year following and at the end of each fiscal year thereafter, there shall be transferred from such special account to the general funds of the municipality any amount then in such account which is in excess of the total amount paid into the special account during the last two fiscal years next preceding.
Except as otherwise provided in this article, any person who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable by a fine of not less than $5 nor more than $500 for each violation.