Cats
Responsible Cat Ownership
As a cat owner it's up to you to ensure that your cat is well looked after. This can be achieved by keeping your cat adequately confined to your property to protect them from car accidents, wild animals, illnesses and diseases, ticks and other parasitic bugs. In addition it is important that cat owners respect other people in the community and the environment; by keeping them indoors this reduces noise, damage to outdoor furniture, fighting with other cats, and killing of wildlife.
Legislation
The Shire administers the ownership of cats through the Cat Act 2011, Cat Regulations 2012, and the various amendments to the Cat Act from the Dog Amendment (Stop Puppy Farming) Act 2021 (only portions of the Dog Amendment Act are in force at this point). Additional laws are drafted under the local law Animals, Environment and Nuisance Local Law 2016.
External Link: Cat Act 2011
External Link: Cat Regulations 2012
External Link: Dog Amendment (Stop Puppy Farming) Act 2021
Link: Animals, Environment & Nuisance Local Law 2016
Registration
Prerequisites
The Act sets out the requirements for cat owners to register their cats. All cats that have reached six months of age are to be:
- Microchipped;
- Sterilised; and
- Registered with the relevant local government.
When applying for registration, you must bring proof of your cat being microchipped and sterilised as provided by your vet. If your cat is not sterilised or microchipped, you must provide a certificate of exemption, also provided by your vet.
You must be 18 years or older, otherwise we cannot register your cat.
Cats are required to wear a collar and registration tag to ensure that owned cats can be easily identified and returned to their owner.
Applications
The annual period for cat registrations are from 1 November through to 31 October of the following year (this is aligned with dog registrations). All non-lifetime registrations lapse on 31 October regardless of when in the year you registered your cat. Therefore your first year of registration will always be shorter than a full year, unless you register in November month.
Current registration periods the Shire provides are:
- 1-year;
- 3-years; and
- lifetime.
1-year registrations done after 31 May have a discounted fee to compensate for the reduced duration the registration has effect. However this discount is not applicable to 3-year and lifetime registration periods.
We will send out renewal notices a few weeks before the registrations lapse.
Link: Cat Registration Form
Exemptions
The following situations exempt your cat from registration with us:
- The cat is being held at a vet, cattery or cat management facility;
- The cat is under the custody of -
- The Cat Welfare Society Inc., trading as "Cat Haven", or
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Inc) of Western Australia, or
- Australian Customs and Border Protection Services;
- The cat is less than 6 months old.
Please note that exemption from registration does not mean exemption from microchipping; all cats are to be microchipped with the only exception being for health reasons as diagnosed by a vet.
Fees & Charges
Cat registration fees and cat breeder license fees are set by Legislation. All other fees are set by the Shire. Registration fees are discounted for pensioners.
| Registration |
Normal |
Pensioner |
| 1-year registration or renewal, between 31 May and 30 October |
$10.00 |
$5.00 |
| 1-year registration or renewal, at any other time |
$20.00 |
$10.00 |
| 3-year registration or renewal |
$42.50 |
$21.25 |
| Lifetime |
$100.00 |
$50.00 |
| Cat Breeder |
| 1-year registration or renewal of a breeding cat (separate to regular cat registration) |
$100.00 |
N/A |
| Pound |
| Impound fee |
$70.00 |
N/A |
| Pound sustenance fee, per day |
$20.00 |
N/A |
| Destruction or disposal |
At Cost |
N/A |
| Miscellaneous |
| Cat tag replacement |
$1.00 |
N/A |
Please see the Fees and Charges page for the current up-to-date fees.
Update of Information
If you change your address, transfer ownership of your cat to another person or organisation, or your cat has passed away, you will need to let us know so that we can update our records. This can be done through a Pet Update Form (which can also be used for dogs).
Link: Pet Status Update Form
Ownership Transfer
If you find yourself in a situation where you need to transfer the ownership of your cat to another person, whether for free or for commerce, there are a few things the original owner needs to be aware of.
Cats can only be transferred to a new owner if they are both sterilised and microchipped, unless:
- there is an exemption certificate for why the cat cannot be sterilised and/or microchipped;
- the cat is not sterilised because it is being given or sold to a registered cat breeder for the purposes of breeding;
- the cat is too young to be sterilised, but the original owner gives the new owner a voucher to sterilise that cat for free when it is old enough; or
- the cat is exempt from registration under the Cat Act and Cat Regulations.
Once the cat has been transferred to the new owner, it is the responsibility of the original owner to inform us and the microchip company the details of the new owner (name, address and contact information) within seven (7) days of the transfer.
This can be done in the Pet Status Update Form above.
Maximum Number of Cats
Under our Local Law, you are not allowed to keep more than three (3) cats over the age of six months at your property. You may apply to us for an exemption to have this maximum lifted, but we will need to be satisfied that your house has the required space and amenities to not be a nuisance or dangerous to your or your cats' health. Additionally the exemption will come with conditions for housing the cats, as determined by our Environmental Health Officer or Ranger.
Cats that are under six months of age do not count against this maximum; when your cat gives birth to a litter, the kittens are counted as part of the mother for the purposes of registration until they reach six months of age.
This maximum of three cats does not apply if you are operating a veterinary service, a pet shop, are a member of a cat organisation, or are a running a cattery registered with us. It still applies if you are a cat breeder however.
Link: Multipet Permit Application
Cat Breeders
Even if you wish to only breed one litter from your cat, you are considered a cat breeder.
If wish to become a cat breeder in our Shire, you must apply for a permit with that is only valid for 12 months. Each breeding cat incurs a fee in addition to the cat registration fee (and the cat intended for breeding must be registered before being designated as a breeding cat on your Cat Breeder Permit). Cat Breeder Permit expiry dates are not aligned with the regular cat registrations that lapse on 31 October.
Cat breeders, when selling or giving away cats, are still required to follow the steps in the Ownership Transfer section above. Cat breeders are also beholden to the maximum number of cats per premises of three (3) cats, so breeders wishing to keep and breed more are required to apply for a Multipet Permit.
Helpful Links
RSPCA