Jump to content

Cats in Western Australia


GrimRitual

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone. New to the forum, and I am desperate for some information.

 

My family and I, are looking to migrate to the sunny land around November. I thought it would be a no brainer bringing my two cats along with us, but as I came across the laws regarding cats in WA, I've literally been waking up in cold sweats. The thought of flying my cats over, put them through quarantine, and then someone can trap them and kill them if found on their property? Is this true? Can a nation really be that cruel to animals? Kill one species to save another? I'm really really panicking here. Every time I think I may be able to leave my cats behind, as soon as I utter the words, I realise I just can't do that. I have had them longer than I've had my own children, and my daughters have known them all their lives...obviously. Has anyone who has taken their own cats to Perth had any issues?

 

How can a country condone people to just trap cats and kill them? I can understand laws stating all cats must be desexed, unless breeders, which would eventually solve the over population of cats. But to advise people to trap and kill them? I find that truly horrible. How can you keep your cats in? My cats do everything on their own terms, they would hate not being able to move freely. Now I'm worried my family and I would be unwelcome if we turned up with cats. Very confused.

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to PP.

I don't think the regulations are altogether different from the UK, they're there merely to promote responsible ownership.

The facts, as opposed to sensational hearsay, may be found here;

http://www.dlg.wa.gov.au/Content/Legislation/CatActFaqs.aspx#open

 

We have friends with cats and they seem to live a perfectly agreeable life. It may depend on how rural you are though??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't panic!

 

It's not that bad. Yes there are regulations and yes there are people that are anti-cats (the sort I would call bunny huggers back in the UK!) however we brought our two cats with us and have had no issues whatsoever, so far. It's just about being sensible.

 

We live in the suburbs at the moment. We don't let them out at night but when we're here they generally come and go as they please. We haven't had any problems with neighbours and certainly have never seen any official permission to trap cats. The ranger can pick them up if they cause a nuisance by roaming a lot, but to be fair most cats don't actually go that far from home. As long as you register them, if the ranger picks them up they call you to collect them. There might be a fine but nothing more than that.

 

We are planning on moving to the countryside and in certain areas there are covenants on properties that say you can't keep cats but that is only in rural areas.

 

To be perfectly honest I'm more worried about my two getting too curious about the local fauna and coming off worse - hence why I don't mind keeping them in sometimes!!

 

There is a lot of bluster about cats but I follow a few forums on FB, including rural based ones, and missing or roaming dogs are more of a topic than cats ever are!

 

Hope that puts your mind at ease a bit.

 

Nikki

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Druid, that's mean! We brought our cat over, she is quite elderly but we are very glad she came. My big tip would be to make sure you get the rabies jabs done ASAP, as you need a lot of time after to ensure the antibodies have worked, beyond the antibodies test. Our cat has settled well, except for bad fur balls in summer (she was expecting a Scottish winter then) and a mean boy cat who harasses her through the window some evenings. He has not been approached by the ranger and a quick shot of the hose sees him off. There are adverts in the supermarkets for food to feed strays and our local pet shop has a re-homing scheme for strays, so cats are not hated in Perth. We had to get her registered with the council for $10. All the best with your moggies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I work as a Dog Walker, pet sitter and I can assure you we are always busy with cat lovers wanting holiday and day visits. Many but not all cats are indoor, some of my clients cats are outdoor but never venture beyond the perimeter fence. Don't know how on earth they manage to train them to do that? Anyway. WA is definately a state of animal lovers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

E=Nikkis2000;102283]Didn't know you were a pet sitter GMAB!

 

We didn't train our cats not to wander here, they just don't. One definitely doesn't go beyond the fence, and I'm sure the furthest the other goes is next doors carport! Back in the UK they'd disappear for hours!

Thats brilliant for you and for them.

I've been doing it for a year now. My friend started her own business doing it and soon got too much work. So I now work for her. A massive change from what I did in the UK but I love it and as an added bonus have lost well over 4 stone :biggrin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...