[Adopted by Ord. No. 11-91]
The Borough Council of the Borough of Mountain Lakes has determined that the spread of rabies constitutes a serious threat to human and animal health and safety, and it is the purpose of this article to establish procedures recommended by the New Jersey Department of Health for preventing and reducing the spread of rabies through domestic cats.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
Any person or agency certified by the State of New Jersey and appointed by the Borough to enforce the provisions of this article.
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.
LICENSING AUTHORITY
The agency or department of the Borough 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 a cat, includes every person having a right of property (or custody) in such cat and every person who has such a cat in his/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.
A. 
Required. No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the Borough unless such cat is vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian in accordance with the latest Compendium of Animal Rabies Vaccines and Recommendations for Immunization, published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians.
B. 
Certificate. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued to the owner of each cat vaccinated, on a form recommended by the state.
C. 
Exemption. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the Borough Board of Health 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.
D. 
The provisions of this section do not apply to cats held in a cattery or those held by a state or federal 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.
A. 
License required. Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a cat over seven months of age within the Borough shall annually apply for and procure from the Borough Clerk, or other official designated by the Borough Clerk to license cats, 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 thereto.
B. 
Application; when made. 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. Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Borough any unlicensed cat and shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Borough for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
C. 
Application requirements. 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 a long- or short-haired variety, and also the name, street and post office address of the owner and the person who shall keep or harbor such cat. The information on said application and the registration number issued for the cat shall be preserved for a period of three years by the Borough Clerk or other local official designated to license cats in the Borough.
D. 
License forms and tags. License forms and official tags or sleeves shall be furnished by the Borough and shall be numbered serially and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of the Borough.
E. 
Rabies vaccination required. No license or registration tag or sleeve shall be granted 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 § 79-16C 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.
F. 
License term. All licenses shall expire on January 31 of the year following issuance.
G. 
Licenses from other jurisdictions. Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall be required in the licensing year for any cat in the Borough. Any valid New Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey municipality shall be accepted by this municipality as evidence of compliance.
A. 
Fees. A license and registration tag or sleeve shall be issued after payment of the fee set forth in § 111-3A of this Code. Persons who fail to obtain a license as required within the time period specified in this article will be subject to a delinquent fee set forth in § 111-3A.
B. 
Lost tags. If a license tag or sleeve has been misplaced or lost, the Borough Clerk may issue a duplicate license and/or registration sleeve for that particular cat at a fee as set forth in § 111-3A.
C. 
Disposition of fees. Licensing fees and other moneys collected or received under the provisions of this article shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of the Borough and shall be placed in a special account separate from any of the other accounts of the Borough and shall be used for the following purposes only:
(1) 
Collecting, keeping and disposing of cats liable to seizure;
(2) 
Local prevention and control of rabies;
(3) 
Providing anti-rabies treatment under the direction of the Board of Health for any person known or suspected to have been exposed to rabies; and
(4) 
Administering the provisions of this article.
Any unlicensed cat found running at large within the Borough limits shall be impounded or disposed of in the same manner as provided for dogs by § 79-5 of this chapter.
Any person who shall violate any provision of this article shall be subject to a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500.