Westville Looks to Implement Community Cat Program

The Borough of Westville is looking to implement a Community Cat Program (CCP).

Ordinance Number 19-2018 was introduced at the November 7, 2018 meeting of the Westville Mayor and Council.

A Public Hearing and further consideration of the Ordinance for final passage will be held during the Regular scheduled meeting on December 12, 2018 at 7 p.m. at the Borough Council Chambers located at 165 Broadway, Westville.

At this time, any person who is interested will be given an opportunity to be heard.

If the Ordinance is approved, Westville will join Gloucester City, Brooklawn, Runnemede, Mt. Ephraim and Barrington — towns that also have implemented Community Cat Programs/TNR (trap, neuter, and return).

The Ordinance states that the Borough of Westville desires to implement a program in the Borough for the purpose of reducing the population of feral and free roaming cats, to benefit public health and to improve the quality of life for residents and enduring the humane treatment of community cats.

A “community cat” is defined as any free-roaming, feral, or barn cat that may be cared for by one or more residents of the immediate area and has no discernible form of ownership identification.

A feral cat is a cat that is born in the wild or is the offspring of an owned or feral cat and is not socialized or is a formerly owned cat that has been abandoned and is no longer socialized.

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.

Community cat caregivers are also 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.

Community cat caregivers will make reasonable attempts to remove young kittens from the field for domestication.

To view Ordinance 19-2018 in more detail, click the image below.