❓ The WA Government will amend the Cat Act to empower local governments to make and enforce cat containment laws, and will undertake a review of the Act led by LGIRS. The government highlights existing support and future collaboration with stakeholders.
AnsweredQoN 807Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to cat management and containment in Western Australia, and I ask: (a) What is the State Government’s current policy position on cat containment and the regulation of roaming domestic cats; (b) What work, if any, has the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) or the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) undertaken to assess the impacts of roaming cats on native fauna in Western Australia; (c) Has the Government considered developing a statewide framework or legislative model to guide local governments on cat containment laws; (d) What support, legal or financial, is currently provided to local governments wishing to implement stronger cat management laws; (e) Has the Government consulted with stakeholders such as the WA Feral Cat Working Group, Cat Haven, the RSPCA or local governments on reforms to the Cat Act 2011 ; (f) What coordination exists between DPIRD, DBCA and the Department of Local Government in addressing stray and feral cat management across public and private land; (g) Is the Minister aware of the legal advice received by the WA Feral Cat Working Group regarding the validity of cat containment laws made under section 3.5 of the Local Government Act 1995; (h) Has the Minister sought independent legal advice on whether local governments can lawfully regulate cat roaming under their general local law-making powers; (i) Will the Government consider amending the Cat Act 2011 or the Local Government Act 1995 to explicitly empower local governments to regulate roaming or require containment; (j) Is the Minister considering a review of the Cat Act 2011 to reflect current scientific evidence on the impacts of domestic cats on native biodiversity; (k) Can the Minister table any departmental reports or studies undertaken in the past five years on the impact of domestic or stray cats on Western Australia's native wildlife; (l) Has DBCA undertaken any assessments or commissioned any modelling of the number of native animals killed annually by domestic, stray, or feral cats in urban and peri-urban environments; (m) Does the Department collect or monitor data on the effectiveness of feral cat control programs in proximity to urban areas with high levels of roaming domestic cats; (n) Has the Minister or department considered the ecological risk posed by hybridisation between stray cats and feral cat populations; (o) What consideration has been given to the public health implications of roaming cats, including the spread of toxoplasmosis; (p) Has the Department received any reports or advice regarding the welfare risks to pet cats allowed to roam freely, including from road traffic or disease exposure; (q) Has the Department undertaken any cost-benefit analysis comparing enforced containment versus continued allowance for domestic cats to roam; (r) How many local governments in WA currently have cat containment laws in place, and how many have had proposed laws disallowed by the Joint Standing Committee; (s) What mechanisms are in place to ensure consistency in local cat laws across shire boundaries, particularly in regions with mobile or transient populations; (t) What enforcement powers do local governments currently have to deal with stray or nuisance domestic cats; (u) Has the State Government provided any funding or resources to assist local governments in implementing or enforcing cat containment laws; (v) Has the Minister received any correspondence or representations from the City of Bayswater or the Shire of Pingelly regarding their local laws on cat containment; (w) What education campaigns have been supported or run by the Government to encourage responsible pet ownership and the benefits of cat containment; (x) Has the Department engaged with schools, veterinary bodies, or pet industry groups on public awareness about cat containment and environmental impacts; (y) What data is available on community attitudes toward cat containment, and has the Government commissioned any polling or surveys; (z) Has the Department worked with Cat Haven or other shelters to reduce surrender rates of roaming cats as a result of containment policies; (aa) Has the Minister reviewed any of the scientific literature cited by the WA Feral Cat Working Group in support of containment policies; (bb) How does Western Australia’s policy and legislative framework for domestic cat containment compare to other Australian jurisdictions such as the ACT or Victoria; (cc) Has the Department benchmarked WA’s cat management approach against national or international best practice; (dd) Will the Minister commit to a full and independent review of the Cat Act 2011, including consideration of mandatory containment and stronger stray cat provisions; (ee) Is the Minister open to introducing amendments to allow for the inclusion of time-based or area-based cat curfews through local or state law; and (ff) Does the Government support the principle of statewide minimum standards for domestic cat management to ensure fairness, consistency and environmental protection?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 November 2025
Responded by
Minister for Local Government
Response time
9 days
(a – z ff)
The Cook Labor Government has announced that it will amend the Cat Act to enable local governments to make and enforce local laws regarding cat containment.
The amendments will provide a framework for local laws which promote responsible cat ownership including cat containment by empowering individual councils to engage with their communities on these issues.
Further, a review of the Cat Act will be undertaken and led by LGIRS. It will consider a range of policy issues in a holistic way. As this is a statutory review, it is conducted by the responsible department to ensure alignment with legislative obligations and government policy
Currently, the Cat Act provides local governments with consistent legislative framework across Western Australia and important tools to manage cats, including prohibiting them from specific public places, addressing nuisance behaviour, and enforcing sterilisation, microchipping and registration.
Consultation will continue with ongoing engagement through submissions, correspondence and meetings with stakeholders on this important matter. Additionally, continued sector wide support will be provided by LGIRS.
In other Australian States. local governments are responsible for cat containment through local laws. Councils may impose night-time curfews or 24-hour containment requirements and can issue orders to prevent trespass or nuisance caused by roaming cats.
The proposed legislative amendments would enable local governments to introduce time-based or area-based cat curfews through local laws and aim to enable local governments to make cat containment local laws, with the development of model local laws promoting consistency across different local government districts.
In Western Australia two local governments have enacted cat containment local laws and two local governments had proposed cat containment local laws that were recommended to be disallowed by Joint Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation.
To encourage responsible pet ownership in November 2024, the Cook Government launched the ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’ campaign to encourage pet adoption from animal rescue organisations. In October 2024, $500,000 was provided to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals WA to subsidise sterilisation of cats and dogs for low-income pet owners. Funding has also been provided through the Natural Resource Management Community Stewardship grants, administered by DPIRD, to support cat enclosure rebate programs and community education initiatives.
Matters relating to interagency involvement, LGIRS is collaborating with DBCA and DPIRD through an interagency framework. This coordination includes development of shared guidance on cat management planning, integration with declared pest frameworks, and local government engagement on implementation under the Cat Act.
The Cook Labor Government has announced that it will amend the Cat Act to enable local governments to make and enforce local laws regarding cat containment.
The amendments will provide a framework for local laws which promote responsible cat ownership including cat containment by empowering individual councils to engage with their communities on these issues.
Further, a review of the Cat Act will be undertaken and led by LGIRS. It will consider a range of policy issues in a holistic way. As this is a statutory review, it is conducted by the responsible department to ensure alignment with legislative obligations and government policy
Currently, the Cat Act provides local governments with consistent legislative framework across Western Australia and important tools to manage cats, including prohibiting them from specific public places, addressing nuisance behaviour, and enforcing sterilisation, microchipping and registration.
Consultation will continue with ongoing engagement through submissions, correspondence and meetings with stakeholders on this important matter. Additionally, continued sector wide support will be provided by LGIRS.
In other Australian States. local governments are responsible for cat containment through local laws. Councils may impose night-time curfews or 24-hour containment requirements and can issue orders to prevent trespass or nuisance caused by roaming cats.
The proposed legislative amendments would enable local governments to introduce time-based or area-based cat curfews through local laws and aim to enable local governments to make cat containment local laws, with the development of model local laws promoting consistency across different local government districts.
In Western Australia two local governments have enacted cat containment local laws and two local governments had proposed cat containment local laws that were recommended to be disallowed by Joint Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation.
To encourage responsible pet ownership in November 2024, the Cook Government launched the ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’ campaign to encourage pet adoption from animal rescue organisations. In October 2024, $500,000 was provided to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals WA to subsidise sterilisation of cats and dogs for low-income pet owners. Funding has also been provided through the Natural Resource Management Community Stewardship grants, administered by DPIRD, to support cat enclosure rebate programs and community education initiatives.
Matters relating to interagency involvement, LGIRS is collaborating with DBCA and DPIRD through an interagency framework. This coordination includes development of shared guidance on cat management planning, integration with declared pest frameworks, and local government engagement on implementation under the Cat Act.
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