Cat dumping crisis: Central Coast pounds no longer accept cats
THE Central Coast is facing a looming environmental disaster after a council-run pound at Charmhaven was directed to stop accepting stray cats, sparking fears hundreds would be dumped and wreak havoc on native wildlife.
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THE Central Coast is facing a looming environmental disaster after a council-run pound at Charmhaven was directed to stop accepting stray cats, sparking fears hundreds would be dumped and wreak havoc on native wildlife.
Central Coast Councillor Greg Best says a stray or feral cat epidemic was imminent with stray and feral cats no longer being accepted at either of the Coast pounds.
Cr Best said council had changed its directive to no longer allow cats at its animal care facility SoCares at Charmhaven.
Central Coast Animal Care Facility in Erina has not accepted cats for some time.
Cr Best will bring a motion to Monday night’s council meeting to reinstate council’s feline services at Charmhaven.
He said the decision was already resulting in more cats being dumped or released into bushland across the Coast.
Cr Best said the change was rolled out earlier this year at Charmhaven. Previously the facility took in stray cats providing desexing, taming and rehoming services.
“I just feel the policy change with no consultation of environment groups and the community is an outrage,” Cr Best said.
“This decision is inhumane, and it will cause a huge flow on effect into our natural bushland and epidemic of feral cats. I am demanding an explanation.”
The Express Advocate asked council if a decision was made to no longer accept stray and abandoned cats.
A council spokeswoman said council would only accept “cats that have been seized from a prohibited area” including food preparation/consumption areas or designated wildlife protection areas.
Wyong’s Luke Hessell and Sarah Moulton, who are foster carers for adult cats, started a petition earlier this year calling for the pounds to take in lost and stray cats. The petition has more than 1600 signatures.
“We started the petition after hearing horror stories about people going to the pound to drop off an abandoned cat and being turned away,” Mr Hessell said.
“Some people are being told to put the cat back where they found it. We are in this horrible situation now where people are desperate. I’ve heard so many stories about cats and kittens being dumped.”
He said an increase in cats being dumped and released would result in further destruction to native wildlife and the environment.
According to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, a feral cat kills between five to 30 animals per day, resulting in a minimum estimate of 75 million native animals killed daily by feral cats across Australia.
Lawyer Anne Greenaway, from Lawyers for Companion Animals, will speak at council on Monday night in support of reinstating the rules to take cats. She said the issue needed to be out in the open, after contacting both Central Coast animal care facilities and being told they do not take cats.
Rescue groups are being “inundated”
Bec Martin, from Paws a moment and Rescue, said the new directive not to take cats would undo all the hard work rescue services and pounds had done over the past five years.
“Three years ago you would look on Gumtree and see hundreds if ads for free kittens,” she said. “This has dropped significantly, but all the great work will be undone.”
She said the rescue service was already inundated on a daily basis, and there are only a certain amount of carers. She said they had already seen cats being dumped at businesses, homes and shopping centres.
“There are desperate stories day after day,” she said. “One cat was dumped in a shopping bag in toilets at Erina Fair.
“There’s only so much we can do. If we now have to cope with strays and abandoned cats, we just won’t cope. There is also buckleys chance of getting your cat back if it’s lost, with the pound no longer taking them in.”
Deb Downer from Claws n Paws said she received 10 to 15 calls a week for cats.
“One the weekend we had a call for 20 cats,” she said.
“We are looking after 300 cats at the moment and we are at capacity.”
She said the service was copping a lot of abuse and threats regarding the situation.
What the council said
The council spokeswoman said “the ownership and control of cats and dogs is regulated in NSW by the Companion Animals Act 1998”
“The Act aims to ensure responsible pet ownership and that people with pets do not impact on the comfort of others,” she said.
“The Act specifies that cats are prohibited in some public places. These include food preparation/consumption areas or designated wildlife protection areas. Council Rangers and members of the community can seize a cat if it is in a prohibited area. Council’s Animal Care Facilities will accept cats that have been seized from a prohibited area.”