Cat ownership

Cat owner responsibilities

  • are responsible for giving their cat a proper home by providing shelter, food, control and care.
  • are required under The Companion Animals Act to have it microchipped by a vet or animal welfare organisation, and to then pay a lifetime registration fee before the cat is 6 months of age.
  • are encouraged to keep the cat inside during dusk and night time, which helps to reduce unwanted breeding, spread of diseases, and the impact on native wildlife.
  • are encouraged to de-sex their cats.
  • must accept responsibility for a cat roaming outside their property.

The Cat Protection Society often runs seminars on responsible cat care.

Further information is available on the Cat Protection Society website.

Protecting wildlife

Council conducts cat-trapping in bushland areas where there is evidence that native wildlife is being threatened by cats. It is important that cats are identifiable, through microchipping, so that if they are trapped they can be returned to their owners.

As many native animals feed from dusk until dawn, it is at this time that they are most vulnerable to attacks from roaming cats. To prevent these attacks, all residents are asked to make arrangements to confine their cats inside at night and fit an effective bell onto their cat's collars.