Mitcham Council to enforce new 24-hour cat confinement rules – but only for younger cats

Cat owners in one Adelaide council area face fines if they repeatedly let their pets wander – but the new laws don’t apply to older cats.

Some cat owners in the Mitcham council area now face $200 fines for allowing their pets to roam – while other owners don’t.

New bylaws came into effect from the start of the year that seek to keep some cats on their owners’ properties at all times.

All cats born or registered on or after January 1, 2024, must now be confined to their owners’ properties unless on a leash or similar restraint.

They can still go outside, but owners face a fine $210 if their pets are repeatedly found wandering outside their property.

But all other cats do not have to be contained, a council spokesperson said, although they added cats could not “cause a nuisance”.

Mitcham Council approved the changes in August, and they came into effect on January 1.

“Council has introduced cat confinement for all new cats from January 1, 2024, to help Mitcham’s cats live longer and healthier lives, while better protecting native wildlife,” the spokesperson said.

“Keeping your cat confined to your property is the safest place for you cat, they won’t be at risk from getting lost, hit by a car or fighting with other cats.”

The spokesperson said confining cats was not about catching cats in one-off incidents or honest mistakes.

Mitcham Council receives a high number of complaints about wandering cats, while in the Elizabeth area, social media is awash with stories of loose cats that cause problems.

More than 70 per cent of Mitcham ratepayers supported some sort of cat confinement.

However about 60 per cent did not support allowing older cats to continue to wander.

The new bylaws do not apply to cats born or registered before January 1 under a “grandfather” clause, under RSPCA recommendations.

The clause aims to prevent cats accustomed to wandering from suffering if they were suddenly confined and means the rules would apply younger cats, and not older ones.

Some residents feared they may have to surrender their pets if they were abruptly confined.

Meanwhile, Campelltown Council is also introducing tougher cat confinement bylaws that force pet owners to keep all cats on their properties from the start of the year.

A night-time curfew for cats in the Campbelltown area began in June last year, and property confinement came into effect at the start of the year for all cats.

There is no current state law governing cats in regard to their confinement under the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995.

A 2022 review of the Act by the Dog and Cat Management Board did not recommend night curfews but public consultation on the idea of banning ‘wandering’ at large and a statewide approach to cat management.

The report further recommended consultation on policies such as registration and nuisance offences.

Earlier this month, environment Minister Susan Close said the review was tabled in parliament in February 2023 and public consultation would start early this year.