Offering councils animal management services and impoundment facilities is a quick and relatively straightforward way for charity run shelters to make reliable revenue. It is no coincidence then, that often the animal welfare groups who lobby hardest for laws which drive up pet impounds, are those who run shelters and are set to benefit most financially from councils being forced to purchase animal management services.
WA’s new cat laws require cats be desexed, microchipped, registered with council and wear a collar while in public. Cats who fall foul of these new laws – especially unowned and community cats who live in close proximity to humans – are at high risk of impoundment. Councils will, as required by law, either have to impound cats themselves, or pay a charity or third party operator to impound and hold cats for them. The going ‘rate’ in WA for a charity to receive, impound, hold and dispose of a cat, is about $100 per animal.
The impounding locations that have been confirmed by local councils are below. I will update this list as more details come forward.
| Name | Location/Provider | Link to more info |
Metropolitan |
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| Armadale | “The City is currently liaising with two local animal care facilities to establish a temporary cat management facility. The shared cat impound facility is currently under construction (in South Perth) and will not be available until early 2014.” | |
| Bassendean | Awaiting response | |
| Bayswater | Awaiting response | |
| Belmont | Julies Kennels, Malaga | |
| Cambridge | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Canning | “City of Canning currently have no impounding facilities for Cats. Residents are able to take trapped cats to the Cat Haven or the RSPCA.” | |
| Claremont | “For the purposes of interim impounding for cats in the Town of Claremont, they will be taken to the Swanbourne Vet at 2 Devon Road Swanbourne 6010. Ph 9384 0813. From there, they will be taken to Cat Haven for rehoming if required.” | |
| Cockburn | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Cottesloe | Awaiting response | |
| East Fremantle | Awaiting response | |
| Fremantle | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Gosnells | Awaiting response | |
| Joondalup | RSPCA, Malaga | |
| Kalamunda | “The cat facility will be located opposite the current dog pound in Kalamunda and should be operational by the end of this year.” | Cat management facility upgrade $24,000‘Shire all set as new cat laws kick in’ |
| Kwinana | “Our Cat Management Facility will be located at 2 Beacham Crescent Medina.” | |
| Mandurah | Own pound, Park Rd | |
| Melville | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Mosman Park | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Mundaring | Awaiting response | |
| Nedlands | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Peppermint Grove | via Town of Cottesloe | |
| Perth | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Rockingham | Own pound | |
| South Perth | Cat Haven, until own pound opens | “The City of South Perth has received $250,000 from the State Government to upgrade their current dog pound to also be able to impound cats, in preparation for the new Cat Act. The City has allocated an additional $250,000 towards the facility, making the total for the pound upgrade half a million dollars.”(ref) |
| Stirling | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Subiaco | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Swan | Julies Kennels, Malaga | |
| Victoria Park | South Perth pound | |
| Vincent | Cat Haven, Shenton Park | |
| Wanneroo | RSPCA, Malaga | |
Non-metropolitan |
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| Dundas |
Own pound, cnr Morgan St & Mildura St Norseman |
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| Exmouth |
Own pound, Wildersdorf Road Exmouth |
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Murray |
Own pound, 6 Baker Street Pinjarra. |
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Mukinbudin |
“Mukinbudin from January 2014 will be at the Merredin Shire Depot until this time we have nowhere for Cats to be held” |
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| Roebourne |
Own pound |
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See also: RSPCA WA’s big new cat pound
