NSW Councils slammed for cruel policy as debate rages over threat cats pose to wildlife

Local councils call for stricter policies to stop cats from wandering outside

Pet parents have raised concerns after one council in New South Wales warned them of euthanising cats found wandering the streets due to an alleged threat to native wildlife.

Hornsby Shire in Northwest Sydney has reportedly taken a drastic decision of killing cats that are deemed feral if found in rough appearance or not micro-chipped. The council's policy does not require a feral cat to be held for any set length of time before euthanasia.

However, following the introduction of new laws in March last year, the local councils are now mandated to hold stray animals for a period of two weeks before euthanasia.

Hornsby Shire has taken the lead in a conflict between councils, the New South Wales government, and animal welfare groups over the treatment of cats.

Local councils have called for stricter policies, while cat parents have warned against feline suffering.

Hornsby Shire council has argued that the hardline policy was introduced to protect wild flora and fauna from feral animals.

“Feral cats may well be damaging other domestic pets or taking the lives of native fauna, which can be quite a significant issue. We need to deal with these issues in an appropriate way,” Hornsby Shire general manager Steven Head was quoted by The Daily Mail as saying.

Jenny Fisher, a cat owner from Dural, said the council's opposition to the new laws was a knee-jerk reaction taken because it was easier to kill the animal.

“Instead of stigmatising cats, we should be desexing, rehoming and rescuing them,” Ms Fisher told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“Most cats found by the council are indoor lost cats. It is too easy to kill and harder to care," the member of the World League for the Protection of Animals, added.

Jacquie Rand, the executive director of the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation, said that blaming cats for the destruction of wildlife led to cruelty along with the “unnecessary and pointless killing of many healthy cats and kittens”.

Both federal and domesticated kill 1.7 billion native animals each year, according to Sarah Legge, an honorary professor in wildlife conservation at the Australian National University.

“There isn’t any doubt at all that cats have had, and continue to have, enormous detrimental effects on our wildlife, especially our native mammals.”