The SPCA is calling for comprehensive cat law reform that it hopes will help better manage our feline friends.
Cats don't have national guidelines for how they're controlled, unlike dogs, with responsibility for cat management currently falling on local government.
“What we’re proposing, we firmly believe, is not at all controversial,” SPCA’s Chief Scientific Officer Dr Arnja Dale told Seven Sharp.
The organisation is calling for legislation that would mandate micro-chipping cats nationwide alongside compulsory de-sexing with an exception for registered breeders.
Dale continued: “The second ask we want with this national legislation is that we have happy and healthy cats at home. This means keeping cats on your property, in a catio, or keeping them indoors when there are wildlife-sensitive areas.”
She said keeping cats contained on properties would help reduce the spread of toxoplasmosis to farm species and marine mammals. She added it would also reduce the impact cats had on native fauna.
“It’s time for central Government to stand up and deal with this important issue in a welfare-friendly way,” Dale said.
Watch the full Seven Sharp interview in the video above.
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