Cat ownership under threat as councils crack down

Aussie cat lovers could soon face a tough choice: keep just two moggies, or risk breaking the law.

Wagin Shire Council in WA is considering a drastic two-cat limit per household to combat a feral feline explosion, a move designed to tackle the growing number of strays plaguing the region.

Over the last three years, Wagin has shipped more than 300 unwanted cats to a Perth animal shelter, a whopping 230km away.

The proposed bylaw aims to curb the cat numbers, but it’s already sparking debate.

Michelle Muller and Larry Stanbridge, who run the Wagin Cat Rescue, have seen first-hand the scale of the problem.

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Wagin Shire Council in WA is considering a drastic two-cat limit per household to combat a feral feline explosion.

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After four years of operation, they say owners need to lift their game.

“The lack of understanding that cats need to be sterilised, they need to be microchipped, they need to be registered to the shire,” Michelle told the ABC.

“Not having your cat sterilised is the biggest issue, because they just continue to breed.”

The pair recounted one home housing a staggering 40 cats.

Wagin Shire Council President Phillip Blight said the cat crisis is draining council resources. “There’s an extraordinary amount of additional work looking after cats,” he explained.

“Most of them are not microchipped, so you can’t easily find the owners of these cats. A lot of them then don’t get claimed and they end up being moved on to Cat Haven [in Perth].”

While stricter cat containment laws have garnered support in WA, few councils have successfully implemented them.

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Other Aussie council have already implemented tough cat bylaws, including 24-hour confinement.

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The Shire of Pingelly’s cat policy was previously rejected and is awaiting resubmission.

Meanwhile in SA, cat curfews are in place in two council areas but with varied results if social media complaints are anything to go by.

The Adelaide Hills Council has a by-law that requires all cats to be kept at home at all times. This means cats must be confined to their owner’s property unless on a leash or in a carrier. Violations of the by-law can result in a $312.50 fine.

The Mount Barker District Council, meanwhile, has a cat curfew in place that requires cats to be kept indoors between 8pm and 7am.

The council has also set a two-cat limit per household, a move set to be replicated by the Mount Gambier Council on the SA/VIC boarder.

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With domestic cats taking a toll on our wildlife, is it time for a national cat curfew?

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Strict cat bylaws are also in place in the ACT, which has banned cats born after July 1, 2022, from roaming in public.

Over half of Victorian councils also have cat curfews, and NSW is mulling a proposal to stop owners letting their cats wander beyond property lines, in an effort to protect native wildlife.

According to The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), feral cats kill more than 1.5 billion native animals annually across Australia.

To help combat the issue, the department has deployed over 400 “laser and AI” devices to identify and target feral cats, squirting a fatal toxin.