PROPOSED legislation on compulsory sterilising and micro-chipping of cats could be completed within months – “something that should have been done years ago,” according to Mount Pleasant resident Imelda Smith.
Ms Smith, who has been a vocal advocate for compulsory sterilisation, said the widespread problem of stray cats on the streets and a five-week waiting list to have a cat-catcher visit highlighted a huge need.
She said she had been feeding a stray six-month-old cat and its six kittens for more than a month and had called the Cat Haven and at least 10 veterinarians for help, but they were already inundated with stray cats.
“There are hundreds of stories like mine, where these cats just wander the streets and instead of being found good homes, they get euthanased because the population gets out of control,” she said.
A spokeswoman for Local Government Minister John Castrilli said the proposed cat legislation was currently going through the State Government’s regulatory impact assessment process.
“As part of this, a consultation paper is being prepared. Following the finalisation of this paper, members of the public and stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed legislation,” she said.
Alfred Cove MLA Janet Woollard said the issue of stray and discarded cats was not a problem that had just arisen and she was hopeful that a paper would be ready for the public within months.
“It is something the State Government is looking at and the fact that they are talking about releasing a paper means it is progressing and not just being considered,” she said.
Cat Haven spokeswoman Jessica Reid said the main reason there were so many stray cats was that not enough people were sterilising their pets.
“This results in unsterilised cats breeding and unwanted kittens being produced that will never find homes,” she said.
“We are really hoping the legislation will go through as soon as possible as it will make a huge difference to this sad situation and save lives of many cats,” Ms Reid said.