New cat regulations are now in place in the City of Whittlesea to help protect cats, the community and wildlife.
Since August 1, all cats are to be confined to their owner’s property or under effective control when outside, and newly-registered cats will need to be desexed.
The new regulations mean that cat owners should keep their cats contained to their property or under control while outside their property.
Chair administrator Lydia Wilson said unconfined cats could be an issue for the community and wildlife.
“Last year council received more than 1000 complaints relating to cats. During consultation with the community, we heard from approximately 1800 people, with more than 80 per cent supporting some form of cat confinement,” she said.
“We understand that cat confinement will not provide an immediate solution to cat nuisance issues, however it will make it easier for both residents and council to address issues more swiftly.”
Ms Wilson said over the past 12 months, council has worked on transitioning the community to the new cat regulations through developing videos, hosting workshops and pop-up stalls, and contacting all cat owners to help them prepare for the changes.
“We have seen a tremendous amount of community engagement for all our activities,” she said.
“Our instructional videos have been viewed over 3000 times, and we had the pleasure of hosting nearly 100 people at our six in-person DIY workshops.
“Furthermore, we had meaningful conversations with over 1000 residents at 18 pop-up events in shopping centres. It’s clear that our community is eager to learn more and take proactive steps in keeping cats confined.”
City of Whittlesea will continue to support cat owners with information and resources to ensure residents are able to comply with new regulations.
Education will be council’s priority and fines will only be issued as a last resort.
For further information, visit www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/cats.
