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Cat owner loses fight

File Pic: Johanna Scott with one of her cats

A Brunswick woman is set to end her opposition to an order from the Harvey Shire Council to move 90 cats that have lived at her home.

This means there could be an end in sight to the legal stand-off between the council and Johanna Scott, which dates back to late last year.

The council discussed the dispute, which is before the State Administrative Tribunal, as a confidential item at its meeting Tuesday night.

Shire president Tania Jackson said the council discussed a submission put forward by Johanna Scott as requested by the tribunal.

“We are very close to a resolution, ” Ms Jackson said.

The South Western Times understands Mrs Scott has requested time to rehome nearly all the cats that live at her home.

She launched a Facebook page on Monday effectively conceding defeat in her bid to challenge the council’s order to move all but three cats.

“We cannot win the fight to keep all the cats at our home property so will now be placing the cats on this page for adoption, ” it says on Mrs Scott’s Facebook page.

The saga began last year when council officers discovered the cats living in enclosures at Mrs Scott’s home in Brunswick.

The council then gave her 90 days to humanely remove them. However, Mrs Scott appealed to the tribunal.

She told the Times in February she was opposing the council’s order in a bid to stand up for the cats.

“The fact is we have been living in our home for 14 years with cats on the property the whole time, ” she said at the time.

She was also afraid that moving the cats would stress them.

The council had threatened to launch legal action under the Planning and Development Act, which carries a maximum penalty of $200,000 if the cats were not moved.

Mrs Scott has launched fundraisers and online petitions to grow support for her stance against the council.

She raised at least $500 and has had support from animal lovers from Australia and across the world.