unwanted feline pregnancies (Nutter 2004). Restricting the times and areas that cats can et al., roam can also help reduce the transmission of the disease (Dabritz and Toxoplasma gondii Conrad, 2010) and cat faecal pollution of waterways (Dabritz 2006). et al., The Contentiousness of Cat Containment Policies that involve confining domestic cats are controversial. According to a survey on cat containment in Victoria, some cat owners think it is and unnatural to confine a cat for 24 “cruel hours to a and the welfare and happiness of cats during property” “were concerned about 2012, p. 63). In Tasmania, cat-owners who sometimes or never et al., confinement” (Toukhsati contain cats are more likely to think cats have strong physical and emotional needs to be outside, and are less confident in their ability to effectively contain their cats (McLeod 2015). et al., According to an ABC news article, some pet-owners do not see a need for cat containment, and consider the issue of biodiversity loss because of roaming cats to contain certain amount of “a 2017). ‘alternative fact’’ (ABC, Cat Containment in the ACT In Australia, there have been campaigns urging cat owners to contain their cats since the 1990s (McLeod 2015), however, at the state or territory level, only the ACT has established any et al., form of cat containment area. In designated areas in the ACT, cat containment requires cat owners to confine cats to their properties 24-7. If a cat is found outside of their owner’s property, it can be seized by Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS), and cat owners can be fined up to $1500. Under Section 81 of the cat containment has Domestic Animals Act 2000, been declared in 12 suburbs in the ACT, including Crace, Bonner, Coombs, Denman Prospect, Forde, Jacka, Lawson, Molonglo, Moncrieff, The Fair at Watson, Throsby and Wright. These suburbs were identified as areas of serious nature conservation threat because of hunting by cats (ACT Government, 2018). The Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate, and Domestic Animal Services, are responsible for compliance and enforcement of cat containment in the ACT. However, there has been little actual policing of cat containment in the ACT (Maxwell, 2016). Although the Domestic Animals ACT (2000) allows regulating bodies to seize and capture domestic animals
unwanted feline pregnancies (Nutter et al., 2004). Restricting the times and areas that cats can roam can also help reduce the transmission of the disease Toxoplasma gondii (Dabritz and Conrad, 2010) and cat faecal pollution of waterways (Dabritz et al., 2006). The Contentiousness of Cat Containment Policies that involve confining domestic cats are controversial. According to a survey on cat containment in Victoria, some cat owners think it is “cruel and unnatural to confine a cat for 24 hours to a property” and “were concerned about the welfare and happiness of cats during confinement” (Toukhsati et al., 2012, p. 63). In Tasmania, cat-owners who sometimes or never contain cats are more likely to think cats have strong physical and emotional needs to be outside, and are less confident in their ability to effectively contain their cats (McLeod et al., 2015). According to an ABC news article, some pet-owners do not see a need for cat containment, and consider the issue of biodiversity loss because of roaming cats to contain “a certain amount of ‘alternative fact’’ (ABC, 2017). Cat Containment in the ACT In Australia, there have been campaigns urging cat owners to contain their cats since the 1990s (McLeod et al., 2015), however, at the state or territory level, only the ACT has established any form of cat containment area. In designated areas in the ACT, cat containment requires cat owners to confine cats to their properties 24-7. If a cat is found outside of their owner’s property, it can be seized by Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS), and cat owners can be fined up to $1500. Under Section 81 of the Domestic Animals Act 2000, cat containment has been declared in 12 suburbs in the ACT, including Crace, Bonner, Coombs, Denman Prospect, Forde, Jacka, Lawson, Molonglo, Moncrieff, The Fair at Watson, Throsby and Wright. These suburbs were identified as areas of serious nature conservation threat because of hunting by cats (ACT Government, 2018). The Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate, and Domestic Animal Services, are responsible for compliance and enforcement of cat containment in the ACT. However, there has been little actual policing of cat containment in the ACT (Maxwell, 2016). Although the Domestic Animals ACT (2000) allows regulating bodies to seize and capture domestic animals
Final-Report-Cat-Containment-Report.docx