Old Bridge, NJ Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 39-25 requires every cat over seven months old to be vaccinated against rabies and licensed through the Township Clerk, with exemptions for catteries, research facilities, veterinary establishments, shelters, pounds, kennels and pet shops. Owners of newly acquired or newly aged cats must apply within 10 days, and a nonresident keeping a cat in Old Bridge for up to 90 days is exempt. The license fee is $13 for an unneutered cat and $10 for a neutered one, with a $5 late fee for applications filed on or after February 1, and proof of licensing must be produced on request to any health official, police officer or animal control officer.

License fees fund rabies control, antirabies treatment and administration of the section, held in a special account under § 39-25C(12). Section 39-25.1, added in 2017 and amended through 2025, separately authorizes feral cat colonies. Registered caregivers may maintain a colony under a TNR (trap, neuter, return) program overseen by a TNR Committee that the Chief of Police appoints, working with a contracted Animal Control Provider that trains caregivers and helps resolve complaints. No colony may sit within 500 feet of a public or private school, or where the school has valid complaints against it, and caregivers must register with the TNR Committee, work to vaccinate and sterilize colony cats, and indemnify the Township against liability for the colony's operation.