Cat owners face new laws

WA cat owners would be forced to sterilise, micro-chip and register their pets within the first few months of their lives under long-awaited WA laws proposed in a discussion paper to be released today.

Local Government Minister John Castrilli was yesterday tight-lipped about the paper but said last week the laws were likely to include compulsory identification through micro-chipping, registration and sterilisation.

"The proposed legislation will be aimed at reducing the large proportion of stray cats throughout Western Australia," he said. A committee set up to draft the laws looked at forcing cat owners to comply with the regulations by the time their pets were six months old but the Cat Haven has lobbied for three months and the RSPCA supports de-sexing from two months.

It is understood the laws will not be retrospective, meaning by natural attrition it could be up to 10 years before WA has a completely regulated domestic cat population.

The Cat Haven, RSPCA and WA Local Government Association, which have all been campaigning for years for Statewide cat laws, yesterday welcomed the next step.

Cat Haven operations manager Roz Robinson said she hoped to see laws soon to stop thousands of cats and kittens being euthanised, better identify lost animals and reduce problems caused by unsterilised cats.

Ms Robinson estimated 14,000 cats and kittens were euthanised in WA each year.

"I think every State government has ignored the problem and swept it under the carpet, hoping it would go away," she said.

It is estimated about 200,000 WA homes have cats, with millions more cats roaming feral.

An RSPCA spokesman said while some local councils had enacted local laws for cat control, which typically related to the number of cats per household, none included a requirement for compulsory sterilisation.

Shadow local government minister Paul Papalia supported the concept of Statewide cat laws but said it was essential and fair that any extra costs to local councils because of the legislation was met by the Government.

With sterilisation costing up to $200, micro-chipping about $50 and registration at most councils for sterilised dogs $10 a year, Mr Papalia said the Government should consider subsidies for low-income earners.