There are over 2,600 cats registered in the City of Gosnells and responsible cat ownership is the key to keeping those cats safe and happy and reducing nuisance behaviours in the community.

According to the RSPCA, only 6% of cats received by the organisation are reunited with their owners. The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) says responsible cat ownership includes identification, desexing and containment. According to AVA, indoor cats can live up to four times longer than cats left to roam.

That is why it is so important to keep your cat safe and happy at home. Cats who are safely contained at home are at less risk of injury from cars, dogs and other cats.  And when cats aren’t roaming, local wildlife is free to flourish.

The idea that cats need to roam outdoors has changed, with many cat owners now choosing to protect their pets by providing secure and suitable environments for them at home.

The RSPCA has some excellent resources to support owners to keep their cats Safe and Happy at Home, including ideas for keeping your cat occupied and tips for different types of enclosures. Watch the video or download the guide for more information.

 

Click here to download Keeping your cat safe and happy at home (PDF).

 

Containing your cat means stopping them from roaming from your property at any time, day or night. You can do this through a combination of keeping them indoors and having a secure outdoor enclosure or cat-proof fencing around an outdoor area.

Keeping your cat safe at home will:

  • Give them a better chance for a longer, healthier life
  • Reduce the risk of them harming or killing other animals
  • Minimise the chance they will stray and be lost or impounded
  • Prevent them from interacting with un-desexed roaming cats
  • Help avoid neighbourhood disputes
  • Decrease the risk of them being hurt or dying in an accident

Dangers of roaming:

  • Eating something toxic or harmful
  • Being stolen or abused
  • Ticks and fleas
  • Snake bites
  • Serious infections, like Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
  • Fighting with other cats
  • Dog attack
  • Road accidents

Under the City's Cat Local Law 2014, to protect our native wildlife, people who live within 200 metres of a cat prohibited area are required to have an area within their property that can keep cats confined, whether indoors, or in a cat enclosure outside.  

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