By Cara Waters
Cats in the City of Melbourne would be required to be confined to their property at all times and prohibited from certain areas under proposed rules to be considered by the council.
The council wants residents to keep their wandering cats under control as it aims to reduce the number of wildlife killed and pets lost or hurt on roads.
A stray cat ready for desexing at the Lost Dogs’ Home in North Melbourne. Credit: Chris Hopkins
A review of cat management prepared by council officers and to go before councillors next week also recommends that new municipal orders are made to require mandatory desexing of cats.
“Our parks, gardens and waterways are home to a wide range of wildlife species that are at risk from predation of roaming cats,” the review states. “Cats prey on small animals, including native species, and are estimated to kill millions of mammals, birds and reptiles annually.”
In January, there were 5454 cats registered in the City of Melbourne, with 74 per cent registered to apartments, which the council considered a “low roaming risk”.
Of those, 2 per cent, or 134 cats, were not desexed.
Last year, the council received 56 reports of roaming cats, most of which were reported in North Melbourne, where there is “a prevalence of unowned or semi-owned cat colonies”.
“Trespassing cats can cause property damage, fights with animals residing at other properties and neighbourly disputes,” the review states.
Management said the proposed orders aimed to address the issue of trespassing cats, achieve greater welfare outcomes for our pets and increase social harmony.
The review found that cat containment led to numerous positive outcomes for the cats, eliminating the risk of injury or death due to traffic collisions, reducing the likelihood of them being involved in fights with other animals, reducing exposure to diseases and parasites, and preventing the impounding of animals.
A cat keeps a watchful eye on the world from an apartment balcony. Credit: Michele Mossop
A spokeswoman for the City of Melbourne said the council had received overwhelming support for new measures to keep animals safe.
“Most cats in the City of Melbourne are living the apartment lifestyle, and these proposed measures would better protect native wildlife and promote responsible cat management” she said.
The council undertook community engagement and received 1758 contributions and six written submissions.
Of those who responded, 85 per cent backed cat containment, particularly nighttime curfews, 85 per cent mandatory cat desexing, and 81 per cent prohibition of cats from environmentally sensitive areas.
The proposed orders follow cat curfews in Port Phillip, Yarra, Darebin and Stonnington and mandatory desexing in Darebin and Stonnington. But the council acknowledged there could be a potential backlash from residents.
“Management recognises that the introduction of this policy means significant change for cats and their owners,” the review states.
Survey respondents expressed concerns about compliance with the policy and the impact on cats.
“Most cat owners I know ignore cat curfews, and the council do not have the staff to enforce it,” one respondent said.
“It’s very difficult to keep cats from roaming especially during the summer,” another said. “They don’t want to be contained. We try to keep ours indoors, but when it’s hot they run so they won’t be put indoors.”
The council also consulted the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation, which opposes mandatory cat containment on the basis that it will lead to increased cat-related complaints, impoundments, euthanasia, higher council costs and enforcement difficulties for local governments.
“The expansion of local cat confinement laws will not solve the issue of semi-owned and stray domestic cats,” the foundation said.
The Lost Dogs’ Home in North Melbourne said the proposed orders should be paired with other initiatives to reduce the number of cats in shelters, including offering free desexing, microchipping and registration to cat owners from low-income households.
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