Proposed laws trigger WA cat fight

WA cat owners could have their homes searched and their pets seized if they're found not to be sterilised, microchipped and registered under proposed laws, the state opposition says.
WA opposition local government spokesman Paul Papalia said the cat bill would be the most extreme law targeting cat owners in the country, if passed through parliament.

Under the bill, owners face a $5,000 fine if their cats are found not to be sterilised, microchipped or registered on a database that will be freely available to the public.

"The powers this legislation gives local governments is incredible,'' Mr Papalia told reporters.

"They have the ability to come into your house and check whether you're complying with the legislation, particularly if you're a breeder of cats, and they can come in and seize your cat.''

He said it was frightening that cat owners would have their details publicly available on a register, which could be exploited by marketing companies or lead to vexatious complaints by neighbours.


Mr Papalia said the bill empowered local governments to compel owners to restrain their cats within their property at all times.

A spokeswoman for cat welfare shelter Cat Haven said herding cats could be tricky for owners.

"They can scurry away quite quickly,'' she said.

She also said the state government could provide funding assistance for the construction of cat enclosures in the home.

WA Premier Colin Barnett, who admitted he was "not a great lover of cats'', said thousands of felines were being euthanased every year and this legislation would tackle the issue.

"I'd just ask people to think about the responsibility of being a pet owner and the responsibility to make sure cat numbers don't grow exponentially,'' Mr Barnett said.

"We have to euthanase thousands of cats a year and that's not acceptable in a humane society.''

Mr Barnett said cat owners also needed to be conscious of the damage cats do to native species and the environment.

The Cat Haven spokeswoman said the bill could have gone further by lowering the age at which a cat must be sterilised, which is six months under the proposed laws.

"We get females in at four months that are already pregnant,'' she said.

She also said the period for holding cats at management facilities before they are destroyed should be extended.

Under the planned laws, a cat may be destroyed if it is not reclaimed from the facility by its owner within at least seven working days from being notified in writing where the cat is being held.

Too extreme.

That said all cats found wandering should be killed.

and they can come in and seize your cat.''

It's not cats, who've been here longer than white settlers,