By Tim Barlass
The Sydney housing rental crisis is forcing aspiring tenants to abandon designer pets to enhance their chances of securing a new home.
Pet rescue organisations say they are increasingly left to rehome high-value cats such as Bengals, ragdolls and British blues, as well as canine crosses like Labradoodles and cavoodles.
The RSPCA in NSW said it had seen a 66 per cent increase in people surrendering their animals because they could not find a pet-friendly rental.
Jonine Penrose-Wall, retiring co-ordinator of the charity World League for the Protection of Animals, which has a no-kill policy, said shelters were “in crisis” with a massive influx of pets.
World League for the Protection of Animals co-ordinator Jonine Penrose-Wall says rescue shelters are being overwhelmed.Credit: Louise Kennerley
“They are just being left behind when people switch rentals,” she said. “It is about desperation [of the owner] to stay housed, and the pet is the problem.
Homeless and nameless: a Bengal cat in Glebe.Credit: Rhett Wyman
“These are not people that want to abandon their pet for reasons of convenience. These are desperate pleas from people who have tried other shelters.”
She said finding a ragdoll cat for adoption would normally require up to 30 calls to rescue groups, but now “they are everywhere”.
Penrose-Wall said a ragdoll kitten could previously cost more than $1800 and a British blue about $3500. The Herald found “chipped and vaccinated” ragdoll kittens in Blacktown listed on auction website Gumtree for $150.
Dr Donna Schofield, who operates with the mobile inner-city veterinary service Pet Cure, said it was difficult for people with dogs or cats to find rental properties.
“I do know that people leave rentals and just leave the cats behind for the new owners to find. The problem for cat care charities that have a no-kill policy is that they are overwhelmed with animals,” she said.
“There are a lot of ragdolls or ragdoll crosses out on the street now because they are mating and aren’t de-sexed.”
Judith Carter of the charity Kittie Kat Rescue said she was also finding many more “high-end” cats being dumped. “Some of these people are terribly upset at having to do this,” she said.
The NSW government invited submissions from interested parties as part of a review of the Residential Tenancies Act, which includes proposals to make it easier for prospective tenants with pets.
Kristy Blake says the RSPCA has many loveable mixed-breed “rescuoodles” needing a loving forever home.Credit: Rental crisis cats and dogs
RSPCA NSW’s general manager of fundraising and animal operations, Kristy Blake, said it was advocating for change in the rental property space when it came to pet ownership.
“We really want these laws updated. They are impacting people at a very stressful time in their lives, the last thing they should be faced with is saying goodbye to a loved one.
“If you were to see what we have for adoption, you would see what we call a ‘rescuoodle’ – a mixed-breed, big, loveable dog—but we are also seeing a lot of ‘boodles’ [an English bulldog-poodle mix], ragdolls, Bengals, Siamese [cats], and those sorts of breeds that 15 years ago you would never see in a shelter.”
Blake said the RSPCA had made a submission to the state government consultation and was “looking forward to seeing what comes out of that review in favour of pet owners trying to rent a property”.
Adam, a ragdoll cross in the care of Jonine Penrose-Wall.Credit: Louise Kennerley
Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said the government was working to deliver reform to modernise the NSW rental market and take pets into account.
“Increasingly renters aren’t just leasing a house, they want somewhere to call home and often that comes with pets. Making it easier to have pets is also about removing a barrier that can see vulnerable people locked out of housing,” he said.
However, the Property Owners Association of NSW (POA) said it believed current provisions by individual property owners and owners’ corporations were adequate and work to accommodate pets in rental properties.
“No further changes or expansion of the legislation is necessary,” it stated in a submission to the survey. “It’s the owner’s property, and they shall have the final say in whether or not they risk keeping a pet.
“We have previously proposed extending the rental bond amount to include a further four-week rent equivalent to dampen the risk of keeping a pet, and this should be revisited as a point of discussion in these reforms.”
But Jonine Penrose-Wall said: “Our message for the public is if you want a pet and have delayed, and you do have housing security, then adopt now because the shelters are in crisis.”