Cat Registration
All cats must be sterilised, microchipped and registered at six months of age. For more information on how to register your cat, visit our cat registrations page.
Whenever they are in a public place, all cats must wear their collar with their registration tag.
Information for Cat Owners
We encourage you to keep your cat contained within your property boundaries, not only to reduce hunting but also to help protect your cat. Keeping your cat contained will help ensure harmony for everyone – you, your cat, neighbours and local wildlife.
Benefits of keeping cats contained
By keeping your cat safe at home you:
- Reduce the risk of them becoming lost or injured (e.g., hit by a car or attacked by a dog)
- Reduce the risk of them getting into cat fights and having cat fight-related injuries (e.g., abscesses) and catching infectious diseases such as FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus)
- Give them a better chance to enjoy a longer and healthier life. This also saves you money on vet bills.
- Minimise the risk they will harm or kill other animals, including native wildlife
- Enjoy more quality time together
- Avoid problems with your neighbours
Check out the RSPCA’s
Safe Happy Cats webpage for more information on the benefits of keeping cats contained at home and tips on transitioning your cat to life indoors.
Dealing with a Nuisance Cat
What is a nuisance cat?
A cat may be considered a ‘nuisance cat’ if they attack wildlife or create a disturbance in or around a property.
How to deter a nuisance cat
The following information is provided to enable residents to deter nuisance cats from their property. However, please be mindful that any action taken that deliberately injures or harms a cat is not acceptable and such action is deemed to be an offence under the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2002.
Talk to Your Neighbours
- If you know who owns the cat, talk to the owner. Often they will be apologetic and make and effort to rectify the problem.
- If you are not comfortable speaking directly with your neighbour, an anonymous Cat Card that provides information on the new cat laws can be dropped in their mailbox.
If speaking to your neighbour is not successful, or you don’t know where the cat comes from, the following methods may be helpful.
Use Readily-Available Cat Deterrents
For protecting gardens or flower beds, the following household items may deter cats:
- Coffee grounds
- Citrus fragrance (orange or lemon peels or citrus oil)
- Lavender oil
- Lemongrass oil
- Citronella oil
- Peppermint oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Find more deterrents in our Guide to Deterring Nuisance Cats
Plant Natural Cat Deterrent Plants
The following plants are also natural deterrents:
- Scaredy cat plant - Plectranthus caninus
- Curry plant - Helichrysum augustfolium
- Geranium - Pelargonium
- Rosemary - Rosmarinus officinalis
- Lemon thyme - Thymus citriodorus
- Lavender - Lavandula augustifolia
- Pennyroyal - Mentha pulegrium.
Use Commercial Cat Deterrent Products
- You can purchase commercial cat repellent sprays and gels from plant nurseries, vets and pet stores. These methods will only work if the cat does not like the smell of the product. Do not use a disinfectant that contains ammonia, as this may attracts cats to the area.
- Cat Scat is a product which consists of plastic mats that are pressed into the soil. Each mat has flexible plastic spikes that are harmless to cats and other animals but discourage digging.
- If you have a cat, purchase a cat flap that has an electronic release, or a microchip activated cat flap. This will prevent other cats from entering your house.
Other tips
- Be patient: These things take time, so don’t expect the problem to go away over night
- Be consistent: Don’t give cats mixed-messages. Don't leave food out sometimes and then become upset cats come to eat. Cats, like all animals, will learn where they are welcome and where they are not.
For more information on nuisance cat deterrents, download and read our
Guide to Deterring Nuisance Cats.
Cat Management Plan
In March 2022, Council endorsed the
2022 – 2026 Cat Management Plan. The plan outlines objectives and actions to encourage and enable responsible cat ownership in our community, to protect native wildlife, protect the welfare of cats, prevent nuisance cat behaviour and address other associated cat-management issues. The plan is currently being implemented with progress monitored on a quarterly basis by the Community Safety Team.
On the Spot Fines
As per the Cat Act 2011, please see the following for a list of Offences and the modified penalties associated with them.
Cat FAQs