❓ Mr. Blayney asks about government support for local governments dealing with euthanised cats. The Minister outlines cat registration legislation, data collection efforts, and a successful program in Toodyay involving desexing, microchipping, and rehoming.
AnsweredQoN 656Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT — EUTHANASED CATS
656. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the
Minister for Local Government:
It is a sad situation when local governments have to put down
about 5 000 unwanted cats a year. Can the minister outline how the government
is helping local governments deal with the situation?
GOVERNMENT — EUTHANASED CATS
656. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the
Minister for Local Government:
It is a sad situation when local governments have to put down
about 5 000 unwanted cats a year. Can the minister outline how the government
is helping local governments deal with the situation?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Geraldton for his question and his
interest in the welfare of cats.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, you heard what your colleague said about silence in the
chamber when members are speaking. Let us hear the minister.
Mr A.J. SIMPSON : I
thank the member for Geraldton for his interest in cats in Western Australia.
The member is spot on: about 5 000 cats are put down every year. Members may
remember very clearly that we had a long debate in this house in 2011 about cat
legislation in Western Australia. As of 1 November last year, all cats have to
be registered with their local council —
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr A.J. SIMPSON :
There is a lot of discussion about cats in the chamber this afternoon. It is a
very important issue. We have brought the cat legislation into line with the
dog legislation. Basically, domestic animals in Western Australia must now be
registered and licensed. More importantly, we now have some clear data of how
many animals are in our community. Prior to 1 November last year, we had no
idea how many cats there were. We had some clear figures of how many were
euthanased each year—about 5 000. Through the process of getting cats
desexed and microchipped once they are six months old and then registered with
local councils, we are clearly getting some good data around the cat population
in Western Australia.
Last Tuesday, I had the great opportunity to go to Toodyay
with the member for Moore. The Shire of Toodyay now has a cattery next to its kennels.
This is a local government that is proactive in dealing with animals in its
community. When it catches them, it has somewhere to store them, to check them
out, to look at the microchip to see who owns them and to return them to their
owners. When we were there the other Tuesday, it was giving cats away that had
gone through that process. The government has committed over $100 000 towards
that program, and it has also allocated $5 000 to the Shire of Toodyay for its ''snip
and chip'' program, which involves desexing and microchipping cats in
the community. It is a very important step for the community as a whole.
Everyone in this house knows the amount of damage that cats do to wildlife in
Western Australia. It is important that we get cats desexed and microchipped
and also, more importantly, that we get some clear data because at the moment
we do not have clear data of how many cats are in our wider community. I
commend the government for bringing in this legislation and regulating it. More
importantly, I acknowledge the Shire of Toodyay and the great work that it has
done. It is one of the first local governments to acknowledge that cats are a
problem in the area. It is introducing measures so that not only rangers but
all those groups that look after the welfare of animals and that are involved
in that process can work together so that as animals come in, they can be
rehoused and then be given to people who deserve them. More importantly, they
are going through the process of microchipping and desexing them.
interest in the welfare of cats.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, you heard what your colleague said about silence in the
chamber when members are speaking. Let us hear the minister.
Mr A.J. SIMPSON : I
thank the member for Geraldton for his interest in cats in Western Australia.
The member is spot on: about 5 000 cats are put down every year. Members may
remember very clearly that we had a long debate in this house in 2011 about cat
legislation in Western Australia. As of 1 November last year, all cats have to
be registered with their local council —
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr A.J. SIMPSON :
There is a lot of discussion about cats in the chamber this afternoon. It is a
very important issue. We have brought the cat legislation into line with the
dog legislation. Basically, domestic animals in Western Australia must now be
registered and licensed. More importantly, we now have some clear data of how
many animals are in our community. Prior to 1 November last year, we had no
idea how many cats there were. We had some clear figures of how many were
euthanased each year—about 5 000. Through the process of getting cats
desexed and microchipped once they are six months old and then registered with
local councils, we are clearly getting some good data around the cat population
in Western Australia.
Last Tuesday, I had the great opportunity to go to Toodyay
with the member for Moore. The Shire of Toodyay now has a cattery next to its kennels.
This is a local government that is proactive in dealing with animals in its
community. When it catches them, it has somewhere to store them, to check them
out, to look at the microchip to see who owns them and to return them to their
owners. When we were there the other Tuesday, it was giving cats away that had
gone through that process. The government has committed over $100 000 towards
that program, and it has also allocated $5 000 to the Shire of Toodyay for its ''snip
and chip'' program, which involves desexing and microchipping cats in
the community. It is a very important step for the community as a whole.
Everyone in this house knows the amount of damage that cats do to wildlife in
Western Australia. It is important that we get cats desexed and microchipped
and also, more importantly, that we get some clear data because at the moment
we do not have clear data of how many cats are in our wider community. I
commend the government for bringing in this legislation and regulating it. More
importantly, I acknowledge the Shire of Toodyay and the great work that it has
done. It is one of the first local governments to acknowledge that cats are a
problem in the area. It is introducing measures so that not only rangers but
all those groups that look after the welfare of animals and that are involved
in that process can work together so that as animals come in, they can be
rehoused and then be given to people who deserve them. More importantly, they
are going through the process of microchipping and desexing them.
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