Playford looks into cat crackdown
20 Jul 10 @ 04:00pm by Alicia Melville-Smith
PLAYFORD residents may soon be forced to register their cats, under a new bylaw being considered by the council.
The council last week voted to draft a bylaw, which could possibly include cat microchipping, compulsory desexing and curfews.
Councillor Don Levitt, who called for the bylaw, said unruly cats were causing a nuisance in the community.
“They create a lot of noise at night,” he said. “I get them running through my garden, they knock off the bird life and a lot of them go feral.
“NSW, Victoria and Tasmania have had this law in place for a number of years. It’s about time council made the decision this is a bylaw that this council needs.”
The council, which already limits cat ownership to two per household, recorded 86 complaints about nuisance cats in 2009/10.
The number of complaints was about the same as the previous year. Playford Council says the bylaw will take up to a year to develop and will include consultation with residents and the Dog and Cat Management Board. Cr Levitt hoped the introduction of cat registrations would lead to a decrease in the population of feral cats in the area.
RSPCA spokesperson Tracey Taylor said the organisation supported the move. “Our history shows that if responsible pet owners register their cats they are more likely to take care of their pets, stop them straying and have less unnecessary litters,” she said. “We think any step towards more responsible pet ownership is a good one.”
Gawler and Salisbury councils have both said they have no plans to introduce tougher cat controls.
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