[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Winslow 7-15-2025 by Ord. No. O-2025-016.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance stated that the program shall be for a two-year period, which may be extended by Township ordinance.
COMMUNITY CAT
Any outdoor, free-roaming cat, which can include stray cats and feral cats. They are not domesticated but are cared for by designated people in the community who provide food, water, and shelter.
COMMUNITY CAT CAREGIVER
A person who may provide care, including food, water, shelter or medical care to a community cat. A community cat caregiver shall be considered to be the owner, custodian, harborer, controller, and keeper of a community cat.
COMMUNITY CAT COLONY
A group of cats that congregates, more or less, together as a unit.
EARTIPPING
The removal of the 1/4 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.
FERAL CAT
A cat that: (i) is born in the wild or is the offspring of an owned or feral cat and is not socialized; or (ii) is a formerly owned cat that has been abandoned and is no longer socialized.
To permit the implementation of a pilot community cat program (CCP) in the Township of Winslow, for the purpose of reducing the population of feral and free-roaming cats, benefitting public health, improving the quality of life for residents, and ensuring the humane treatment of community cats.
The Township of Winslow shall administer and implement the programs set forth in this chapter in accordance with applicable guidelines and standards as set forth in state and local statute.
A. 
The Township establishes the following community cat requirements:
(1) 
The Township pilot program shall begin with 5 cat colonies. The colonies shall be registered and approved of by the Township. All other colonies will be in violation of said ordinance.
(2) 
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.
(3) 
All community cat caregivers shall be registered with the Township. No colony shall be permitted without prior written authorization from Township.
(4) 
Community cat colony shall not exceed 5 cats. All additional cats must be removed.
(5) 
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.
(6) 
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. Community cat caregivers are responsible for any vet fees. 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.
(7) 
Community cat caregivers shall make reasonable attempts to remove young kittens from the field for domestication.
(8) 
Community cat caregivers are solely responsible for making arrangements if they are no longer able to care for the cats in the form of either removal - at the expense of caregiver - or locating another caregiver. New caregiver must provide contact information to Animal Control prior to transfer of colony responsibilities.
B. 
Community cats meeting the requirements of this section are exempt from any licensing, stray, and at-large provisions of this chapter for the number of cats authorized.
C. 
The Animal Control Officer, as designated by the Township, 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.
D. 
No community cat shall be released at any governmentally owned or managed park, natural area, area deemed as environmentally sensitive land or on any easement adjacent to such lands without approval from the designated Animal Control Officer.
E. 
Healthy community cats that have been trapped by the designated Animal Control Officer in accordance with this section shall be considered to be "on the property of the owner" and thus not stray (off the property of the owner) to be impounded. Healthy community cats shall be immediately returned to the location at which they were found or released to a caregiver. 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 the designated Animal Control Officer, acting in good faith and upon reasonable belief, may humanely euthanize the cat upon the advice of a licensed veterinarian. Expenses associated will be the responsibility of the listed caregiver.
F. 
Nuisance abatement and resolution.
(1) 
A community cat that:
(a) 
Habitually howls, squawks or causes other objectionable noise resulting in a serious annoyance to a reasonable person, shall be deemed to be a violation of this section; or
(b) 
Disturbs the peace by habitually or repeatedly destroying, desecrating or soiling public or private property shall constitute a public nuisance.
(c) 
Any community cat that causes a nuisance on neighboring property by continually wandering onto said property or lingering, defecating on the neighboring property, or other similar nuisance.
(d) 
Nuisance complaints shall be investigated by Animal Control and if two or more complaints are received by two separate residents or three or more complaints by same resident, it shall constitute potential removal of either that cat or the colony or resolution cannot be met.
(2) 
The designated Animal Control Officer, upon the receipt of two complaints as provided for in this section, may issue a citation to the owner or custodian of any animal alleged to be in violation of this section or removal or colony.