Cats
Cats are an important part of our local community but cats that cause a nuisance can become a source of irritation for neighbours and others using the local environment.
Approaching the cat’s owner in a neighbourly manner and discussing your concerns with them sometimes easily resolves the issue. The cat owner may not realise that it is causing an annoyance to other people.
Try placing the ‘Dear Neighbour’ letter into their letterbox including ticking any tips and times that may help resolve the complaint.
Cat registration
From the 1st July 2020, if you own a cat you are required to register it with Dogs and Cats Online (DACO).
South Australian law requires all cats to be microchipped and details kept on www.dogsandcatsonline.com.au. Cats born after the 1st of July 2018 are required to be desexed unless exemption applies.
For more information about registering your cat visit dog and cat registration.
Cat dispensation request
Council approval is required if you wish to keep more than two cats at your property. To seek approval, please complete the online cat dispensation request form.
Cat by-law to help manage cat behaviour and keep them safe
Council endorsed a cat by-law in 2019 to help reduce the impact cats have on our environment. Rules include compulsory registration; number of cats allowable on a property and cat confinement.
The cat by-law includes:
Placing a limit on the number of cats which can reside at a property will assist with the reduction of unwanted kittens which require rehoming. It will also build the capacity to addresses excessive cat numbers causing health, nuisance and welfare issues.
The Cat By-law allows for some flexibility when it comes to cat numbers at a premises.
Similar to requests in relation to dog numbers, cat owners need to apply to Council to seek approval for more than two cats to be kept at their property. Please complete the cat dispensation request form.
In assessing the request to keep more than two cats on a property Council staff will require the applicant to seek the consent of their immediate neighbours. If the property is a rental then written consent of the property owner or the managing land agent will be required.
In addition:
- all the cats being kept on the premises will need to be desexed;
- no insanitary condition is being caused by keeping of the cats on the premises; and
- no nuisance is being caused by the cats
If Council receives complaints about cats once dispensation has been granted or cats from the property have been observed to be contravening the curfew then the dispensation for an extra cat can be revoked.
Limit is 2 per dwelling, for both a rural or urban residence.
Exceptions may be made for those who already own more than two cats.
The main advantage of cat registration is that it helps with reuniting lost cats with their owners. This is a key component of Council’s role in dog and cat management.
Cat registration is mandatory in the Mount Barker District. Please visit go to Dogs and Cats Online to register your cat(s).
A key part of the by-law is addressing nuisance cat behaviour. A cat is causing a nuisance if it (as per definition):
- Unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort or convenience of a person, including but not limited to a cat(s) displaying aggressive nature or creating unpleasant noise or odour; or
- Damages or otherwise has an adverse impact upon native flora or fauna; or
- Acts in a manner that is injurious to a person’s real or personal property; or
- Wanders onto land without the consent of the owner or occupier of the land
- Defecates or urinates on land without the consent of the owner or occupier of the land.
What will happen to cats making a nuisance? In the first instance Council will discuss any cat nuisance issues with owner(s) of the cat(s) and inform them of their responsibilities. This will hopefully result in a change of behaviour, if the issue continues Council will look into undertaking enforcement action.
A curfew will address nuisance behaviour from cats within the curfew times (8pm to 7am) and will also be a huge step toward decreasing the impacts that cats have on native wildlife.
A curfew is also in the best interest of people’s valued pets as the safest place for a cat is at home, they won’t be at risk from getting lost, hit by a car or fighting with other cats.
Generally speaking, indoor cats live in a much more stress-free environment than those that spend time outside and may live up to 15 years or more.
What will happen to cats found breaking the curfew? Council’s aim is to reunite lost animals with their owners. Any cats that cannot be reunited with their owners will be impounded and hopefully rehomed.
For more information on keeping your pet cat safe as home including enrichment idea, please read the Good Cats Play at Home booklet.
For more information about selecting a suitable cat as a pet, fact sheets, desexing and microchipping visit the Dog and Cat Board website.
To search for lost and found animals, the Dogs and Cats Online system is a database of dogs and cats that reside in South Australia https://www.dogsandcatsonline.com.au
| Cat Classification | Fees for 2023/24 |
|---|---|
Non Standard cat (not microchipped and/or not desexed) | $43.40 |
Standard cat (microchipped and desexed) | $21.70 |
| Concession Card Holders* | 50% of relevant registration fee |
| Late Registration Fee | $11 |
| Kitten Registration (under 6 months of age) | Free |
If you are over the limit of two cats and have a reasonable number of cats at your property you will not be asked to reduce your pet cats to the two allowed in the By-law. An application form for keeping more than two cats will be made available soon.
You will be required to pay the registration fee for each cat at your property even if you are over the two cat limit.
Please call Council on 8391 7200.
It’s important to reunite all pets with their owners. If your cat is microchipped or has ID, we will contact the owner immediately. But if your cat is unknown to us, they will be taken to our impound facility where they will stay for seven days and then rehomed.
Council has engaged a commercial facility that offers a high level of care for all impounded cats. All temporarily impounded cats get looked after, fed and have access to exercise areas.
Only domesticated cats get temporarily impounded waiting for their owners to pick them up. All other cats that are either stray or semi-owned are assessed by vets to see if suitable for rehoming.
Council will advertise pictures of lost cats in the window of the Civic Centre (6 Dutton Road, Mount Barker) and online via Facebook. If after seven days and no one contacts Council, or collects their cat, they can be rehomed at either the Animal Welfare League, the Hahndorf Animal Shelter or the RSPCA.
Only very rarely. Our priority is to reunite all lost pets with their owners, if they don’t have an owner, they will be assessed by a vet for rehoming. If they are diseased, sick and suffering the final option is euthanisation and only then by recommendation of a vet.
Contravention of Council's Cat By-Law has an expiation fee of $182.00.
You can hire one of Council’s cat traps for $10. The traps are only for trapping feral cats. It is the hirer’s responsibility to take the trapped cat to a vet to be assessed and if the cat is to be euthanised then this is done at the cost of the hirer.
If the cat is not feral and is domesticated, please contact Council on 8391 7200.
To hire a cat trap, you will need to complete the Animal Trap Hire Agreement form. The completed form can only be lodged in person at the Council Civic Centre, 6 Dutton Road, Mount Barker. Please note there are limited traps available. Customer Service staff will raise a request and supply you with a Customer Reference Number. A Public Safety Officer will contact you and if a trap is not available will explore options. Once a trap becomes available, it will be issued provided the signed application form has been received and the fee is paid.
The trap must be returned clean and undamaged. If it is damaged or stolen, Council will charge a $150 replacement fee.
No. Feeding semi-owned cats causes a number of issues namely: they prey on our native wildlife, spread disease to domesticated cats and create issues to nearby residents as a result of nuisance behaviour. Although your intention is to help the feeding of semi-owned cats it will only will only worsen the problem. The vast majority of semi-owned cats are suffering from disease, they are not de-sexed and feeding them encourages them to frequent residential areas.
- Council’s cat curfew (8pm to 7am) will reduce the impact that cats have on native nocturnal wildlife. Council’s curfew does not apply during the day so cats will potentially kill other wildlife such as lizards and birds that are active during the day. Keeping your cat confined both day and night is recommended especially if you live near bushland and nature reserves and want to minimise the impact your pet cat has on native wildlife.
- Pet cats that are prevented from roaming live longer. They are protected from being hit by a car, injured in fights, attacks by dogs, snake bite, getting lost/stolen and catching diseases from other cats.
- Contrary to popular belief, domestic cats don’t need to roam. You will enjoy their company more and have less vet bills.
- Council gets many complaints from the community about the nuisance that roaming cats cause (including fights, spraying, digging & defecating in yard/vegetable garden (and spreading disease), disturbing pets, entering houses, preying on wildlife). Your cat’s activities may be impacting on neighbours, their animals and neighbourly relations.
Cats that have been fitted with bells on their collars can still kill wildlife as they can learn to silently stalk their prey. Native birds or small mammals don’t necessarily associate the sound of a bell with danger.
No, TNR does not address the welfare of semi-owned or feral cats which are usually suffering from disease and have short lives. TNR does not address nuisance behaviour issues caused by these cats and the massive impact that these cats have on our native wildlife.
Both feral and domestic cats can impact significantly on Australia's biodiversity, particularly birds, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals.
The combined impact of cats and foxes has led to the extinction of almost 30 native mammals from mainland South Australia, and continues to threaten more.
Mount Barker District Council encourages cat owners to consider keeping your cat confined to your premises at all times to lessen the impact that your cat may be having on our endangered wildlife.
Native species in the Mount Barker region that are impacted by feral and domestic roaming cats include but not exclusive to;
Birds such as:
- Fairy wrens
- Willy wagtails
- Honeyeaters
- Robins
- Cuckoos
- Diamond firetails
Mammals such as:
- Bush rat
- Native water rat
- Ring-tailed possum
- Yellow-footed antechinus
- Pygmy possums
- Southern brown bandicoot
Amphibians and reptiles including:
- Common eastern froglet
- Spotted marsh Frog
- Banjo frog
- Sleepy lizards
- Blue tongued lizards
- Dragon lizards (water dragon lizard)
Confining your pet cat to your premises only, gives Council staff and other authorities the opportunity to identify and remove feral cats from the environment through trapping, further reducing the threats to wildlife and community comfort.
RSPCA South Australia say that keeping cats entertained and enriched inside is easier than you might think.
It is about having a variety of toys, scratching posts and climbing spaces available and regularly playing games with your pet.
Your cat will also like places to hide that can be as simple as a cardboard box.
For more information you can visit websites such as the RSPCA or the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation which has fantastic ideas on how you can enrich the life of your cat.
The Dog and Cat Board has some useful information about keeping your cat indoors and for cat proofing your property.
RSPCA South Australia also has a great article on keeping your kitty happy indoors.
Threatened Species
The Mount Barker District Council area provides habitat to a number of fauna species including birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and insects. Unfortunately a number of these species are listed as threatened at a regional, state and/or national level.
Council’s Biodiversity Strategy identifies cat predation as having a major impact on our region’s biodiversity.
Cats are known to roam long distances and will generally hunt all hours of the day and night. Cats are most active at dusk and dawn, this is the same times that most of our native wildlife is active and is one contributing factor to their impact on our native fauna. Cat predation on our native fauna has been identified as a key threat to 35 species of birds, 36 species of mammals, 7 species of reptiles and 3 species of amphibians.
Mount Barker District Council takes its role of protecting the biodiversity of our region seriously and Council’s Cat By-law especially the curfew aims to minimise the impact that cats have on our environment.
Table 1: Threatened species within Mount Barker Council area:
