Local cat owners register in force

As of November 1, cats aged six months and older must be microchipped, sterilised and registered in line with amendments to the Cat Act 2011.

Shire chief executive Rhonda Hardy said having 302 cats registered was a good sign of pet ownership compliance.

‘The Shire is pleased with the number of owners who have registered their cats so far and encourage any owners who have not yet registered to come into the shire at the earliest possible convenience,’ she said.

Ms Hardy said no cats had been impounded since the cat laws came into effect.

‘The Shire has not issued any fines and is enabling residents to register throughout November,’ she said.

‘From December 1, the Shire will begin to issue cautions or infringement notices to residents who have breached the Cat Act 2011.’

The Shire spent more than $24,000 preparing for the new laws, developing a cat management facility and upgrading the records keeping software for cat registrations.

The fee for registering a sterilised cat is $20 for one year, $42.50 for three years and $100 for a lifetime. Pensioners receive a 50 per cent discount.

Residents can call the Shire on 9257 9999 if they have a cat on their property that doesn’t belong there and who require ranger assistance to remove it.

It would cost the owner of a registered cat $55 to release the animal if it is impounded and $100 for an unregistered cat.

Additional costs would be incurred if the cat was unsterilised or not microchipped.

Residents can register their cat by post, fax, email or in person at the shire administration office or online at kalamunda.|wa.gov. au.