RSPCA South Australia has renewed its call for a state-wide approach to cat management. This follows yesterday’s rejection by the Legislative Review Committee of Marion Council’s proposed Cat By-Law.
CEO Paul Stevenson says a unified state-wide approach to cat management is the only way to turnaround the current, unsustainable situation of cat overpopulation and other issues with stray cats.
“Cats do not understand council borders and we currently have about one third of councils with cat by-laws that are completely different,” Mr Stevenson said.
“It is no surprise that they are proving to be totally ineffective in addressing the issue of cat management across our State.”
The Dog and Cat Management Board is currently reviewing the Dog and Cat Management Act and with changes due to be implemented in 2022, RSPCA is calling on the Board to prioritise cat management measures in the review.
According to Mr Stevenson, South Australia seriously lags behind the rest of Australia in cat management legislation.
“We are well overdue in addressing that deficiency, and this review of the Act presents an obvious opportunity to fix what is becoming an increasingly urgent situation.
“Last year RSPCA in conjunction with AWL (Animal Welfare League) released a Cat Management Plan for South Australia, and this sets out a roadmap for the measures that need to be implemented to protect cats, protect our wildlife and reduce nuisance complaints by residents.
“It is time to stop tinkering at the edges of this major issue, impacting humans and animals alike, and get on with the strategic rollout of all the actions detailed in this solid plan.”
