[Adopted 5-12-1992 by Ord. No. O-7-92]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
A cat of any age which shall be left unattended and at large
for a period of 72 hours or more.
For the purpose of this article, "animal" shall mean dog
or cat.
An employee or appointee of the Gloucester County Animal
Control who holds a certification in good standing from the New Jersey
Department of Health and Senior Services whose specific duties include
the enforcement of state statutes and local ordinances relating to
animals.
[Amended 9-23-2008 by Ord. No. O-22-2008]
A cat of any age which inhabits the property of a farm and
farm buildings within the Township of Franklin.
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 the Township of Franklin or any
designated representative thereof charged with administering the issuance
and/or revocation of permits and licenses under the provision of this
article.[1]
Any person offering or allowing access to food, water, or
shelter to an animal for more than 15 days.
[Amended 9-23-2008 by Ord. No. O-22-2008]
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization, or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
A cat that damages either public or private property or harms
the lawful users or occupants thereof.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
[Added 9-23-2008 by Ord. No. O-22-2008]
A cat having no known owner or custodian or known place of
care of shelter.
[1]
Editor's Note: The former definition of "neutered," which
immediately followed this definition, was repealed 9-23-2008 by Ord.
No. O-22-2008.
[Amended 9-23-2008 by Ord. No. O-22-2008]
A.
Vaccination requirements. No person shall own, keep,
harbor, or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the Township
of Franklin, unless such cat is vaccinated for rabies. 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, kennels,
or pet shops.
B.
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.
Vaccination certificate. 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 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.
E.
The Township shall offer rabies vaccinations for dogs
and cats each year at a time and place announced. The vaccination
next offered by the Township following the passage of this article
will have a fee of $0 for cats. Each successive year thereafter, the
fee for cat inoculation shall be equal to the cost, rounded off to
the next highest dollar, to the Township for supplying and administering
the individual vaccination.
F.
Disposition of fees collected. Fees and other moneys
collected or received under the provisions of this article shall be
forwarded to the Treasurer of the municipality, and be placed in a
special account separate from any of the accounts of the municipality
and shall be used for the purposes only of collecting, keeping, and
disposing of cats liable to seizure, for local prevention and control
of rabies, providing anti-rabies 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 unexpended 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 the 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.
Any person who shall have failed to comply with
or violates or offends the terms or any sections of this article shall,
upon conviction, be liable to a penalty of not less than $50 for a
first offense, but not more than $100.
[Amended 9-23-2008 by Ord. No. O-22-2008]
Any cat suspected of being infected by rabies
or that is known to have or is suspected of having bitten, scratched,
wounded or otherwise injured any person or persons, or has chased,
attacked or caused fear upon any person, is subject to either seizure
by or surrender to the duly appointed Animal Control Officer, Chief
of Police, Department of Health official or any other Township official
in a position of authority. In any such event, any cat so seized or
surrendered shall be quarantined in an acceptable facility in a humane
manner and for a reasonable time until a determination can be made
that the cat does not pose a threat to the safety and health of the
public, including the owner's home.
