RESOLUTION #121-18
PL #119-18
By Alderman
Crawford, Seconded by Alderman Witte
TO AMEND THE CITY OF OLEAN CODE OF ORDINANCES CHAPTER 5,
SECTION 5-3 TO DESIGNATE THE PROCEDURE FOR FELINES RUNNING AT LARGE, AND TO
INCLUDE CHAPTER 5, ARTICLE III, FERAL CATS
RESOLVED, that the City of Olean Code of Ordinances Chapter
5, Section 5-3, is amended to include the following:
(c) Any feline found running at large will be treated as a
stray cat and will be subject to the TNVR policy as detained in Article III of
this Chapter.
RESOLVED, that Chapter 5 of the Code of Ordinances is hereby
amended to include the following Article:
Article III
Feral Cats
§ 5-40 Definitions.
For the purpose of this article:
AT LARGE
Not confined, outside an area of escape such as a pen,
corral, yard, cage, house, vehicle, or other secure enclosure, unless otherwise
under appropriate human control.
COLONY
A group of one or more community cats.
COMMUNITY CAT
Any cat that is:
A. Homeless,
stray, or at large, where the cat:
(1) Has been
socialized to people, or is less than five weeks old;
(2) Could become
feral as connection with humans is farther removed; and
(3) In the case
of cats older than five weeks, has a good potential to quickly become
domesticated once again; or
B. Feral, where
the cat:
(1) Is not
socialized towards humans;
(2) Is born in
the wild or is the offspring of an owned cat; or
(3) Is a
formerly owned cat that has been abandoned; or
C. A cat that
lives in the community but is not owned by a human, sometimes referred to as a
"free-roaming" or "street" cat.
DOMESTICATED CAT
A cat:
A. That is
social towards humans;
B. That
currently lives within the residence or on the property of a person or persons
accepted as the cat's owner; and
C. That is
considered appropriate as a companion for humans.
EAR TIPPING
A straight-line cutting of the tip of the left ear of a cat
while the cat is anesthetized.
NEUTER
To permanently sterilize male cats to render them incapable
of impregnating female cats by means of either surgery performed to remove the
reproductive organs or chemical sterilization by which the cats are injected
with a drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for that
purpose.
SPAY
To permanently sterilize female cats to prevent estrus
(heat) cycles and eliminate their ability to become pregnant by means of either
surgery performed to remove the ovaries and uterus or chemical sterilization by
which the cats are injected with a drug approved by the United States Food and
Drug Administration for that purpose.
STERILIZE
To spay or neuter a cat.
TRAP, NEUTER, VACCINATE, AND RETURN PROGRAM or TNVR
A program in which community cats are humanely trapped,
evaluated, vaccinated, sterilized, and ear tipped by a veterinarian and
returned to the trap location with the intent of controlling or reducing feline
population and reproduction.
VETERINARIAN
A person licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the
State of New York.
§ 5-41 Trap, neuter,
vaccinate, and return program policy.
A. TNVR of
community cats shall be legal in the City of Olean, and interested citizens are
encouraged to participate in and support TNVR activities on a voluntary basis.
B. All persons
who attempt to trap community cats for TNVR in the City of Olean should be
familiar with the guidelines, supported by regional and national feral and
community cat organizations, regarding appropriate methods of TNVR.
C. Socialized
cats and all kittens subject to TNVR shall be eligible to be, but not mandated
to be, re-socialized and put up for adoption.
D. An ear-tipped
cat received by local shelters shall be returned to the location where trapped
unless veterinary care is required. A trapped ear-tipped cat shall be released
on site unless veterinary care is required.
E. It shall not
be a violation of this section to determine that the best course of action for
a particular cat, or cat colony, is to be left alone.
§ 5-42 Implementation
of policy.
The City of Olean shall implement and administer this
article in consultation with community cat welfare experts, including the
Cattaraugus County Catnippers.
