I like Wyndham Council. When they discuss their cat laws, they don’t blather on about how it will be good for the cats’ self actualisation and personal esteem to be treated more like dogs. Nor do they try to peddle the notion that it is in the interest of cat kind that they are rounded up and killed. Basically none of that animal welfare malarkey – they just outline their big, fat cat cull plans…
The council’s draft Domestic Animal Management Plan 2013-2016, released last week, includes investigating if the re-establishment of a cat curfew order would assist with the management of cat nuisance.
About 93 per cent of the cats taken to the council’s pound each year are not registered.
So although 93% of the cats already entering the pound are unowned, only by implementing a curfew can they expand their sweeps and killing.
Mayor Heather Marcus said stray and unowned cats posed a potential disease risk to registered cats in people’s backyards.
Cat curfews allow rangers to trap and kill cats more effectively – if she’s out after dark, then she’s fair game.
Wyndham has tried having a cat curfew previously (2000 to 2009). The order prohibited cats being outside their owner’s property at night, and banned the presence of cats in any public place. And the impoundment of cats had been steadily increasing during the curfew.
Year – Impounded cats
05/06 – 728
06/07 – 765
07/08 – 1,186
08/09 – 1,111
09/10 – 1,355
10/11 – 1,250
11/12 – 1,235
… kind of running counter to the oft-repeated theory that you can impound and kill your way to no longer having to impound and kill.
The new plan for the City’s cats includes confinement and…
… increasing public education in relation to feeding stray cats, increased cat trapping and providing discounted desexing of cats.
These three approaches – encouraging people to impound not feed, expanding trapping and restricting desexing programs to owned pets, is a sure-fire plan to increased impoundment and killing. And by implementing a cat curfew, ALL unowned cats will be fair game to join their 95% unowned brethren in the City’s pound.
Residents who would rather see the City’s resources spent on proactive, humane programs, rather than killing cats, can comment on the draft plan until May 24. Visit wyndham.vic.gov.au
So much killing is sad to me, i would like for some thought to be taking on a new friendlier approach, Why is there no other way, but kill kill kill. I would like zero kill pound. Why not try it. Or at least just try something more acceptable to all pet lovers.