Section 437:13-a Health Certificate for Cats.
I. No cat shall be transferred by any person in the state or out of the state for a fee without first being inoculated against infectious diseases using a vaccine approved by the state veterinarian and unless accompanied by an official health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian within 14 days. Said health certificate shall be in triplicate, of which one copy shall be sent to the state veterinarian in accordance with RSA 437:8, one copy shall be kept by the person transferring ownership of said cat for a period of at least 3 years, and one copy shall be given to the new owner.
II. For purposes of this section, an official health certificate means a certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian on a form approved by the state veterinarian, containing the name and address of the person transferring ownership of the cat, the age, sex, breed and description of the cat, a list of all types of vaccines or medication administered to the cat, and the certification of the veterinarian that the cat is free from visual evidence of any communicable diseases.
III. No person shall transfer or cause to be transferred any cat less than 8 weeks of age.
IV. All incorporated or chartered humane societies with operating shelters in the state of New Hampshire are exempt from the requirements of this section relative to transferring cats except that all cats transferred out of an animal shelter facility shall have a form of positive identification, including but not limited to a tattoo, collar, microchip, ear tag, or any other permanent form of identification approved by the commissioner of agriculture, markets, and food and shall be vaccinated against rabies in accordance with RSA 436, and shall be accompanied by an official health certificate if the cat was imported into the state for transfer with or without a fee.
V. The commissioner of the department of agriculture, markets, and food or designee is hereby authorized on the commissioner's own initiative or pursuant to complaints of other persons to investigate any complaints made pursuant to this section and to enforce the penalties of RSA 437:13-a, VI. The commissioner shall adopt rules under RSA 541-A relative to the procedures for such investigations.
VI. (a) Any person who violates this subdivision shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
(b) In addition, any person or owner who violates any of the provisions of this subdivision or rule adopted under it may be subject to an administrative fine levied by the commissioner not to exceed $1,000 for each violation.
Source. 1987, 186:4. 1995, 130:4. 1998, 368:4, eff. Aug. 25, 1998. 2004, 7:2, eff. April 5, 2004. 2007, 160:3, eff. Aug. 17, 2007. 2009, 296:10, eff. Sept. 29, 2009.