Current e-Petitions for the Legislative Council

Amending the Cat Act 2011 to Confine Cats to Premises

Eligibility : Residents of Western Australia Only

To the President and Members of the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned ...

Are concerned about the ongoing, extensive destruction of native wildlife due to roaming cats. This problem worsens as residential expansion destroys native habitats and adds to the population of domestic and feral cats. Environmental studies provide indisputable evidence of the alarming loss of native fauna due to killing by cats. Local councils cannot deal with the problem due to the current limitations within the Cat Act 2011.
In 2019, ‘The Statutory Review of the Cat Act 2011 and Dog Amendment Act 2013’ report listed key themes that have been identified as areas for improvement. These included: confining cats to premises and limiting the numbers of cats kept at premises. The feedback and information gathered as part of this review can be used to inform any future review or amendments of the Acts. © State of Western Australia through Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries
Confinement of cats to premises would reduce the deaths of native fauna by cats, alleviate public nuisance problems caused by cats and provide a safe haven for cats. The 2019 Statutory Review can be used to amend the Cat Act to confine cats to premises and we respectfully ask that this be done in 2023. We do not want another time-wasting, unnecessary review in 2024. Three years has already been lost since the 2019 review and this tragic delay has added stress to residents, local councils and native fauna numbers.
We need amendments, not further reviews. We need decisive action now because time is not on our side. Public support for the confinement of cats to premises is shown by the 2019 Statutory Review, local council surveys and this petition.

And your petitioners as in duty bound, will ever pray.