[Adopted 9-5-1991 by Ord. No. 7-911]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Dog or cat.
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female or
altered.
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part
of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
The agency or department of Upper Saddle River or any designated
representative thereof charged with administering the issuance and/or
revocation or permits and licenses under the provision of this article.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
The proprietorship of a cat shall include every person having
a right of property or custody of such cat and every person who has
such 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. Owners or those harboring stray cats on their property shall
be responsible to abate such nuisances associated with the keeping,
feeding or propagation of such cats, either on private or public property.
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
A.Â
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall
own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within
Upper Saddle River unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed. 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.
B.Â
Vaccination. All cats shall be 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, except as provided for in Subsection D.
C.Â
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination
shall be issued to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended
by the state.
D.Â
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements
of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the local 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.
A.Â
Cats must have license number displayed. Any person
who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of licensing age shall annually
apply for and procure from the Clerk of the municipality, or other
official designated by the governing body thereof to license cats
in the municipality in which he/she resides, a license and official
registration tag with a 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, break-away or elastic
collars. License tags or sleeves are not transferable. If a cat is
tattooed with the owner's social security number plus a letter or
letters uniquely identifying such cat and such identifying tattoo
is listed on the license application, then no license number need
be displayed.
B.Â
Time for applying for license. The owner of any newly
acquired cat of licensing age or of any cat which attains licensing
age shall make an 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 Upper
Saddle River for no longer than 60 days.
C.Â
Cats brought into jurisdiction.
(1)Â
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought
into Upper Saddle River any cat licensed in another state for the
current year and bearing a registration tag or sleeve and who shall
keep the same or permit the same to be kept within Upper Saddle River
for a period or more than 60 days shall immediately apply for a license
and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
(2)Â
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought
into Upper Saddle River any unlicensed cat and who shall keep the
same or permit the same to be kept within Upper Saddle River for a
period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license
and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
D.Â
Application contents and preservation of information.
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings
of the cat for which the license and registration are sought and whether
it is of a long- or short-haired variety; 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 Clerk or other local official designated to license cats
in the municipality.
E.Â
License forms and tags. License forms and official
tags or sleeves shall be furnished by the municipality and shall be
numbered serially and shall bear the issuance and the name of the
municipality.
F.Â
Evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption; requirement for license. No Municipal Clerk or other official designated by the governing body of any municipality 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 § 46-13 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.
G.Â
Sick or diseased cats. Any cat showing a change in
disposition or illness or any cat that bites or scratches another
animal or human may be required by the Health Officer, animal control
officer or designated agent to be quarantined for a period of 10 days.
Owners or those harboring cats evidencing a change in disposition
or illness may be required to have such animal analyzed by an approved
veterinarian. Any cost incurred in quarantining such animal or veterinary
service examination shall be paid for by the owner or harborer of
such cat or cats.
H.Â
License fee schedule. A license shall be issued after
the payment of a fee of $8 for each unneutered cat and $5 for each
neutered cat. Persons who fail to obtain a license by February 15
of each calendar year will be subject to a delinquent fee of $5.
I.Â
Fees; renewals; expiration date of license.
(1)Â
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
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 December 31 in the following year.
(2)Â
Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall
be required in the licensing year for any cat in Upper Saddle River.
Any valid New Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey
municipality shall be accepted by this municipality as evidence of
compliance.
J.Â
Proof of licensing. 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.
K.Â
Interfering with persons performing duties under this
article. No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized
or empowered to perform any duty under this article.
L.Â
Disposition of fees collected. 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 the collecting, keeping and disposing of cats liable to seizure;
for local prevention and control of rabies; for providing antirabies
treatment under the direction of the local Board of Health 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
article shall be liable to a penalty of $100 for each offense.