Another Australian council is set to ban cats from roaming in public spaces, with huge fines of up to $5,000 for owners who fail to keep their pets under control.
If the law passes, it would mean cats would be banned from 27 areas, including parks, forests, lakes and even a golf course.
The measures come in response to bad news about what Australia’s five million pet cats and three million stray cats often get up to at night.
Cats kill a staggering 390 million animals, reptiles and birds each year. They have driven 27 native species extinct, from the pig-footed bandicoot to the desert kangaroo rat.
A report by South Perth Council identified Neil McDougall Park, Manning Bushland, Millers Pool, lakes in Sir James Mitchell Park, Curtin Primary School Bushland and Collier Park Golf Course as sensitive natural areas in need of protection from cats.
Cats found there will be confiscated and taken away under the new law, and their owners will face huge fines.
Owners who break the law and leave their cat in a prohibited area face a fine of up to $5,000 and an additional $500 per day for continued violations.
Other councils in Western Australia, such as Canning, Kalamunda, Fremantle and Bassendean, already have cat-free zones.
Another Australian council is set to ban cats from specific areas within its borders, with hefty fines of up to $5,000 for owners who fail to keep their pets under control
Attempts by some councils to ban cats from all public spaces have been rejected by the Western Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation, so South Perth is not prepared to go that far.
“The restriction of the freedom of movement of cats within a district and the definition of nuisance are areas of concern to the committee,” a council report said.
“While it may be the desire of the council and the community to limit the presence of cats in ways that are deemed appropriate to protect wildlife, the city has limitations in local law.”
The City of Bayswater, also in Perth, will release its proposed Local Cat Keeping and Control Act Amendment 2024 for public comment.
The law has gone through several iterations after the city tried to include a clause banning feral cats from public spaces a few years ago.
It has now adopted part of the Shire of Northam Cat Act 2019, which requires owners to ensure their cat is under ‘effective control’ in a public place.
Earlier this year, calls were made for a nationwide ban on cat ownership, which could save the country billions of dollars.
The rules mean that domestic cats are no longer allowed outside and that owners will face heavy fines if they do not keep their cats indoors permanently.
Neil McDougall Park (pictured) is one of the areas where South Perth City Council wants to ban cats
Feral and domestic cats allowed outside are one of the biggest threats to native wildlife
Some councils, and indeed the whole of the ACT, already impose such bans, while others, such as Geelong and the City of Melbourne, are in the process of doing so.
However, new calls are being made for a nationwide ban, with a survey showing most Australians would support it.
A survey published in March this year by the Biodiversity Council found that only one in 12 people, or eight percent of the population, opposed such a ban.
In addition to saving millions of native animals that would otherwise be killed by domestic and feral cats each year, the ban could also reduce the impact of cat-borne diseases that are transmitted to humans, which cost the economy an estimated $6 billion a year.