Desex her, microchip her and keep her indoors. She will be safer and so will our native species.
With feral cats killing as many as 75 million
Australian creatures every day, there are new calls for cat ownership
rules to be tightened.
LISA PRESTON LOVES her little cat, Lulu. The small
and round - "like a bowling ball" - black cat likes nothing more that to
hide in cardboard boxes or spend hours just lazing about the house. "She's particularly lazy. Curiosity will not kill her. She doesn't care what goes on past the house!"
However when Lulu moves on to the great windowsill in the sky, Lisa will not replace her.
Lisa has signed up to Christmas Island's cat eradication program. From 2009, all cats on Christmas Island have been required to be microchipped and desexed, and when they die, or leave the island, they won't be replaced.
Feral cats are the same species as domestic cats (Felis catus) and have been identified in a CSIRO study as the primary cause of recent Australian mammal extinctions. Christmas Island's famous birdlife is also vulnerable to uncontrolled cats. "I'm involved in tourism. Birding is a big drawcard to the island. Not only for the native wildlife but also for the migratory birds that we get. Birds are our business. I love cats. I'm a big cat lover. I'm a responsible cat owner. But I understand that they don't belong here. I am resolved that when my latest one passes, I can't adopt another one," says Lisa sadly. It's a strategy that has precedent in Australia, with Queensland banning the keeping of rabbits as pets for more than 100 years.
Federal Environmental Minister Greg Hunt recently told Background Briefing that he wants to focus on feral cat eradication, announcing a 10-year plan to control them. "Right now we have the best part of 20 million oversized, over hungry, ferocious predators in the wild and that's what we have to deal with," he said. "Although, making sure that we have very solid and safe protocols with our councils for ensuring that [domestic] cats are registered and microchipped and sterilised I think is very important," Mr Hunt said.
Similar to Christmas Island, a 'last cat' policy has also been proposed for Kangaroo Island to increase the effectiveness of the cat by laws under the Dog and Cat Management Plan which already require all domestic cats to be registered, microchipped, desexed and confined to an owner's property 24 hours a day.
Acting Regional Manager of Natural Resources Kangaroo Island, Martine
Kinloch says feral cat eradication on the island is more feasible now
that domestic cat management is under control. "If we ever get to the point of eradicating feral cats we don't have to run the risk of reinfesting from the domestic pool. We have strong community motivation and interest to eradicate cats
and the local council are also on board to help support the program."
she said.
And it's not just on Australia's islands. The call for tighter restrictions on cat ownership is being echoed across the country as councils cotton on to the carnage stray cats can cause.
Legislation in most states allows councils to set local cat by-laws
around whether desexing, microchipping and registration are compulsory.
In many councils in Australia cats are not required to be desexed or
microchipped or confined, meaning if the cat escapes or runs away, there
is little chance it will be returned to its owner, and may breed in the
wild.
Listen to Background Briefing's feature on feral cats
And it's not just on Australia's islands. The call for tighter restrictions on cat ownership is being echoed across the country as councils cotton on to the carnage stray cats can cause.
Legislation in most states allows councils to set local cat by-laws
around whether desexing, microchipping and registration are compulsory.
In many councils in Australia cats are not required to be desexed or
microchipped or confined, meaning if the cat escapes or runs away, there
is little chance it will be returned to its owner, and may breed in the
wild.Listen to Background Briefing's feature on feral cats
The WA State Government has attempted to stem the flow of cats
escaping to the bush through the Cat Act (2011), making it mandatory for
cats to be registered, desexed and microchipped. The new laws came into force in 2013 with a minimum of fuss for cat owners. Tasmania is also in the process of beefing up cat ownership laws.
Some local councils have chosen to pursue mandatory 24-hour cat confinement, a measure that was recently proposed for the entire ACT after a report found that domestic cats prey on 67 local species of wildlife around Canberra.
TV's 'Bondi Vet', Dr Chris Brown, says 24-hour cat confinement is worth considering. "Cats cope a lot better than what we think when it comes to being confined, they certainly need their outdoor time and cats do enjoy that but if you set up your indoors in the right way then certainly cats can be happy as indoor cats."
The Yarra Valley Shire in Victoria which takes in the Dandenong Ranges National Park began a 24-hour cat curfew this month but retired Sherbrooke forest Parks Ranger John Lloyd says that lack of council enforcement could be a problem. "I was disappointed when the Shire said they were not going to enforce the curfew too much, we need to make the cat trapping program high profile so that people know that if they let their cats out, there is a good chance they will get caught. I really think that Parks Victoria and Yarra Valley Shire need to work together on a joint cat program." Mr Lloyd says.
Dr Brown agrees that councils need to be involved but also says that the main responsibility lies with individual cat owners. "Councils have their own responsibility but they have to inspire people as it is going to come down to the individual, we need to start on the home front and make sure that we don't make the problem any worse. The most important thing is increased accountability by people, so desexing should be compulsory; microchipping absolutely; and at the very least you should be keeping your cat indoors at night," Dr Brown says.
RSPCA Victoria's Shelter Manager Liz Walker says that of the 10,831 cats brought into their shelters last year more than 8,000 were strays. "On average, RSPCA Victoria gets in 208 cats per week. And we only take in around 40 per cent of cats across the state. People who have cats or are feeding stray cats need to be accountable and owners who still let their cats out all the time need to understand the bigger picture," she says.
Dr Brown points out that indoor cats are often healthier, live longer, and are more comfortable than outdoor cats. "Probably the most reassuring statistic for people is that the average lifespan for a cat that is kept indoors alone is 14 years and for a cat to be let outside as much as it likes the average lifespan is just four years."
source
Some local councils have chosen to pursue mandatory 24-hour cat confinement, a measure that was recently proposed for the entire ACT after a report found that domestic cats prey on 67 local species of wildlife around Canberra.
TV's 'Bondi Vet', Dr Chris Brown, says 24-hour cat confinement is worth considering. "Cats cope a lot better than what we think when it comes to being confined, they certainly need their outdoor time and cats do enjoy that but if you set up your indoors in the right way then certainly cats can be happy as indoor cats."
The Yarra Valley Shire in Victoria which takes in the Dandenong Ranges National Park began a 24-hour cat curfew this month but retired Sherbrooke forest Parks Ranger John Lloyd says that lack of council enforcement could be a problem. "I was disappointed when the Shire said they were not going to enforce the curfew too much, we need to make the cat trapping program high profile so that people know that if they let their cats out, there is a good chance they will get caught. I really think that Parks Victoria and Yarra Valley Shire need to work together on a joint cat program." Mr Lloyd says.
Dr Brown agrees that councils need to be involved but also says that the main responsibility lies with individual cat owners. "Councils have their own responsibility but they have to inspire people as it is going to come down to the individual, we need to start on the home front and make sure that we don't make the problem any worse. The most important thing is increased accountability by people, so desexing should be compulsory; microchipping absolutely; and at the very least you should be keeping your cat indoors at night," Dr Brown says.
Every cat a wanted cat
An additional benefit of greater cat control is a reduction in stray and unwanted cats. WA saw a 25 per cent drop in the number of strays being handed in after the Cat Act came into force. In Victoria, the RSPCA says state and local governments spend around five million dollars a year managing domestic cats.RSPCA Victoria's Shelter Manager Liz Walker says that of the 10,831 cats brought into their shelters last year more than 8,000 were strays. "On average, RSPCA Victoria gets in 208 cats per week. And we only take in around 40 per cent of cats across the state. People who have cats or are feeding stray cats need to be accountable and owners who still let their cats out all the time need to understand the bigger picture," she says.
Dr Brown points out that indoor cats are often healthier, live longer, and are more comfortable than outdoor cats. "Probably the most reassuring statistic for people is that the average lifespan for a cat that is kept indoors alone is 14 years and for a cat to be let outside as much as it likes the average lifespan is just four years."
source
No comments:
Post a Comment