Cats 

As a cat owner, you are responsible for ensuring your cat’s health, safety, and wellbeing. One of the best ways to do this is by securely containing your cat on your property, helping to protect it from road accidents, roaming animals, disease, ticks, and other parasites.

Responsible cat ownership also means being considerate of neighbours and the local environment. Keeping cats indoors or properly confined can help minimise nuisance behaviours such as noise, damage to gardens or outdoor furniture, fighting with other cats, and harm to native wildlife.

Registration Information

The Act sets out the requirements for cat owners to register their cats with the local government they reside within. All cats that have reached six months of age must 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 microchipped or sterilised, you must provide a certificate of exemption, also provided by your vet. Microchipping and sterilisation are mandatory, so your registration may be refused if proof of your cat’s microchip number and sterilisation is not provided.

Please note that you, or a delegate, must be at least 18 years of age to register a cat.

Cats are required to display the Shire of Cuballing tag, provided after registration, around their collar to ensure owned cats can be easily identified.

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.

Applications

Cat registrations are valid for the annual registration period running from 1 November to 31 October the following year, in line with dog registration periods. Registration terms are reduced on 31 October each year, regardless of the date the cat was originally registered. As a result, the initial registration period may be less than 12 months unless the registration is completed during November.

Current registration periods the Shire provides are:

• 1-year;
• 3-years;
• lifetime; and
• carried over from previous local government.

Renewal notices will be sent out a few weeks before the registrations lapse.

If you are wanting to register your cat, please complete the cat registration form, along with provide proof of your cat’s microchip and sterilisation certificate. The registration can be completed at the Shire of Cuballing office at 22 Campbell Street, Cuballing.

If you are a pensioner concession card holder you are entitled to a discount on the cat registration fees. You must provide a copy of your pensioner card if applying for a pensioner concession.

 

Fees and Charges 

Registration
1 Year	$20
3 Years	$42.50
Lifetime	$100.00
Pensioner Concession	50% Concession
Pound Fees
Seizure Fee	$56.65
Daily Impound Fee	$22.00
Disposal/Destruction	$122.00

Cats 

Transfer of Cat Registration from your Previous Shire

If you have recently moved and want to transfer your cat's registration to the Shire of Cuballing, you will need to complete the dog and cat transfer form. Once the Shire Administration staff have obtained confirmation from the previous Shire, your cat's registration will be transferred to the Shire of Cuballing.  Transferal of cat registrations in this way carries no fees.

 

Maximum Number of Cats

Under the Local Law, residents are permitted to keep a maximum of two (2) cats over the age of six months old on a property. If you wish to keep more than this number, you can apply to council by completing the Application to the exemption of the number of cats allowed form.

The approval is subject to an assessment of the property to ensure there is adequate space and appropriate facilities to maintain the cats without creating a nuisance or posing a risk to the health and safety of the animals or residents. Any approved permit may also include specific conditions relating to the care and housing of the cats, as determined by the Ranger.

Kittens under six months of age are not included in the permitted cat limit. Where a litter is born, the kittens and their mother are considered a single cat for registration purposes until the kittens reach six months of age.

 

Breeder Permits

Please contact the Shire of Cuballing to find more information on obtaining a cat breeding permit.

 

Cat Complaints

You may inform the Shire of any cats that may be causing a nuisance in your area. Examples of Nuisance Behaviours include:

• Roaming – owned cats causing a nuisance by entering neighbouring properties and are not contained to private property
• Consistently killing local birds and small mammals in neighbouring gardens
• Noice disturbance – Fighting with other cats, yowling/crying and disturbing neighbouring pets
• Property damage and Hygiene Issues – defecating/urinating, property damage such as scratching furniture

We encourage residents to first speak with the cat owner to try to resolve the matter, as they may not realise their cat is creating a disturbance. If the issue cannot be resolved through discussion, you can then contact us for further assistance.

Before any action is taken, a ranger will investigate the complaint to determine whether the reported behaviour constitutes a genuine nuisance beyond what would normally be expected from a cat.

Reporting Cat Issues

The Shire can only investigate nuisances and other cat issues after receiving a written complaint. Complaints in other forms, such as those posted on social media, will not be pursued. An online report can be filed by completing the Cat Complaint Form by clicking here.