Domestic Cat Control Legislation

The Cat Act 2011 received Parliamentary assent on 9 November 2011. This Act will be implemented through a two phases approach;

• Phase One by 1 November 2012; and
• Phase Two by 1 November 2013.

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The two year lead-in period will provide the community, industry and local government the opportunity to make plan to comply with the requirements.

The development of this legislation follows extensive public consultation in July 2010, through the release of a consultation paper seeking input on the proposed legislation. Five hundred and ninety (590) submissions were received during the consultation period, with overwhelming support (84%) given for the introduction of all three key elements proposed in the consultation paper:

• Compulsory identification through microchipping;
• Compulsory registration; and
• Compulsory sterilisation.

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While research indicates that legislation will not resolve all problems associated with cats, it will provide the mechanism to:

• Encourage responsible cat ownership;
• Reduce the number of unwanted cats being bred;
• Allow for cats found in a public place or on private property to be seized; and
• Allow for reuniting of lost cats with their owners.

The relevant decision making steps, discussion papers and the proclaimed legislation are available from the Parliament of Western Australia website and are accessible using the link at the bottom of this page.

Further Legislation Development

Proposed Supporting Regulations

Regulations to support the Act are currently being developed, during which appropriate consultation will be undertaken.

In addition, industry and key stakeholders such as cat breeder, cat fanciers, foster carers, cat management facilities etc will be invited to identify and develop industry specific guidelines to address specific management and operation needs.