Jaana Dielenberg, Charles Darwin University

Australians have more pet cats than ever before – more than 5 million in total. With the growing number, expectations on pet owners are shifting.

Many cat owners are now voluntarily keeping their cats indoors or in secure runs, and local governments mandate it in some areas. But most pet cats in Australia still roam local streets and gardens.

Broader adoption of keeping cats safe at home would have large benefits for cat welfare, human health, local wildlife and even the economy. So, should pet owners be required to keep their pets contained to their property, as dogs are?

We put that question to thousands of people in a national survey in late 2023, and recently published the results.

We found most people support requiring owners to contain cats. Just one in 12 people (8%) are opposed. The time might be right for nationwide change in how we manage our pet cats.

Local councils are embracing cat containment

From November 1, Geelong City Council will join a fast-growing group of local governments in urban and regional areas that require pet cats to be securely contained 24 hours a day.

More than a third of local councils in Australia now require cats to be contained overnight or 24 hours a day. Most are in the ACT and Victoria.

Given how good cats are at climbing and jumping, containing cats usually requires keeping them indoors or in secure runs.

The main reasons cited by local governments for these regulations are:

• Improving pet welfare: contained cats live longer and healthier lives with fewer vet bills because they are protected from traumatic injuries from car accidents, dog attacks and cat fights, infections, diseases and other misadventures.
• Saving wildlife: four out of five cats allowed outside will hunt and kill an average of two to three animals per week. With millions of pet cats in Australia, each year this adds up to 6,000–11,000 animals killed in our suburbs per square kilometre and 323 million native animals killed nationally. Night curfews only protect nocturnal species such as possums.
• Reducing nuisance to neighbours: containment results in less disturbance from cat fights and prevents the neighbour’s cat killing the birds and lizards living in your backyard or nearby park, which many community members value.

The public health toll of roaming cats

Another major benefit is less talked about. Stopping pet cats from roaming would greatly reduce rates of cat-borne diseases.

Several diseases which could not exist without cats can be passed to humans. These cost Australia more than AU$6 billion a year based on costs of medical care, lost income and other related expenses.

The most widespread of these diseases is toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be passed to humans but must complete its life cycle in cats. Australian studies have reported human infection rates between 22% and 66% of the community.

Cat-borne diseases cause considerable community harm, with an estimated 8500 hospitalisations and 550 deaths from acute infections and also from increased rates of car accidents, suicides and mental health issues in infected people.

Pet cats are crucial to the rates of these diseases in the community. In suburbs that do not require containment, you’ll find up to 100 roaming pet cats per square kilometre.

Eliminating stray cats from our suburbs is also important to reduce disease rates – just one of the reasons why people should not feed stray cats.

Most Australians support containment

A policy requiring all cats to be contained has clear benefits. But would it have support? Rules only produce benefits if people follow them.

This is why colleagues at Monash University and I surveyed more than 3400 people on whether they would support policies that “require cat owners to keep their cat contained to their property”.

We found a clear majority (66%) of people support cat containment. A strikingly small proportion of people, about one in 12 people (8%), are opposed. The remaining 26% were ambivalent, selecting “neither support nor oppose”.

Other surveys have found almost half (42% or 2.2 million) of Australia’s pet cats are already kept contained by their owners.

Some councils can’t legally require cat containment

Our findings suggest communities would broadly support their local councils if they moved to require cats to be contained.

While councils are responsible for pet issues, state and territory laws greatly influence what councils can and can’t do.

In New South Wales and Western Australia, state laws actually prevent local councils from requiring cat containment (except for in specific circumstances, such as in declared food preparation areas in NSW).

Rules are just the start

To boost compliance, councils need to invest in communicating new rules and the reasons for them. After a grace period, council officers will also need to monitor and enforce the rules.

Communities may need support too, especially if there are costs involved. Councils could, for example, offer rebates for flyscreens to stop cats slipping out of open windows.

Working with other colleagues in 2020, we surveyed Australia’s local governments about their approaches to cat management. Most reported tiny budgets for cat management.

Local governments should not be left to shoulder the cost alone. Federal, state and territory governments are also responsible for Australia’s wildlife (and human health). These governments have a range of projects covering both feral and pet cats.

The Australian government collects AU$3 billion a year in GST from spending on pets. Diverting a small proportion into responsible pet ownership programs would make an enormous difference.

Policies such as rebates for the cost of window screens could help the community to transition to keeping cats indoors. Photo: Jaana Dielenberg

Containment has wide backing

Our research shows the community is ready for widespread reform of how we manage all these cats.

Requiring pet cats to be contained is a sound policy choice. But to realise the full benefits, we also need to invest in effective communication for communities, provide rebates to help contain cats, and make sure the rules are followed.

Kim Borg, Melissa Hatty and Emily Gregg contributed to the national survey, and Sarah Legge, John Woinarski and Tida Nou contributed to research on cat impacts and management.

Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow, Charles Darwin University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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And always, the owners of these cats were astounded (if not terrified) when they were shown how far their beloved pets had travelled. These excursions crossed busy roads, bridges and railway tracks. The cats spent time at schools, workplaces and people’s homes (not always their owners’ homes, either).

The video you can see below reports on such a study in the German city of Weimar. It is beautifully produced and gives a real “cat’s eye view” of the world as the felines patrol their territories, settle disputes with other cats and kill the occasional mouse to bring home.

The post Documentary: Follow your cat appeared first on CATFENCE.

“In just the first six months of the new regulations coming into effect, the number of complaints relating to cats received by council has decreased by 70 per cent from 2022 totals.”

All cats in the city, 40km northeast of Melbourne, must be confined to their owner’s property or under effective control when outside. Additionally, all newly registered cats must be desexed.

These measures were endorsed by the Council as part of the Domestic Animal Management Plan 2021-2025. Recognising the significant change for cats and their owners, the Council provides support and information, including educational materials, videos, and practical advice for a smooth transition away from free-roaming.

While educating the community on cat containment remains a priority for the Council, since the beginning of February, cat owners who who do not comply with the new regulations may face penalties of AU$96 for a cat that is roaming, and AU$384 for a cat that has not been desexed.

Pictured: The Oscillot system of cat-proof paddles (or “rollers”) is a popular choice for Australian cat owners wishing to keep their cats safely contained.

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Pekapeka-tou-roa, or the native long-tailed bat, is a threatened species and they seem to be a tasty treat for all Aotearoa’s introduced pests.

And a recent DOC (Department of Conservation) study identified cats as some of the worst offenders.

There is currently no national legislation for managing cats in Aotearoa, but many conservation and animal welfare groups are keen to see a move towards this.

SPCA science advisor Dr Christine Sumner says keeping your cat home is the solution to keeping native species safe.

“There’s a lot of people who de-sex their cats. More and more people are microchipping their cats – but what we would like to see more of is more people keeping their cats at home.”

Christine concedes that it’s not yet “normal” for New Zealanders to contain their cats but says it’s still a worthwhile goal.

“It’s in your pet’s best interest for them to stay at home. Cats stray and become lost. You have the risks of them becoming injured…and cats fight with each other. And anybody who’s had a cat roaming maybe has experienced the cat coming home with an abcess, and that’s not fun either. So these are different risks that cats face when they roam.”

Keeping your cat contained is possible, says Christine:

“Some people have fences with mechanisms on top – little devices like the cat could jump up and there’s a roller bar and they can’t get a grip, and it rolls them back. Or, they put up netting – you see this online.”

Christine adds that the SPCA wants owners to feel they are doing right by their cat.

“The cat having a choice is really important to cat owners – it’s core to the cat’s welfare.”

Listen to the entire programme and learn more about bats (32’22”)

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One of the best ways to keep them healthy – and save you money – is to keep them contained on your property, as explained in an article published today on nzherald.co.nz.

Here is a brief extract from that article, with our emphasis added:

One major advantage of pet insurance is help with medical treatment bills. Claims processed by PD Insurance shed a unique perspective on cat health, and [Michelle] Le Long [chief operating officer of pet insurance specialist PD Insurance] says three of the top five most commonly claimed conditions are diarrhoea, gastroenteritis and conjunctivitis.

“Bladder and upper urinary tract infections are routinely claimed, too. But the biggest by far – and I really do mean by far – is for injuries sustained in cat fights,” she stresses.

“This sends a clear message to every cat parent. The best way to keep your cat safe, uninjured and healthy is to keep them contained on your property, rather than letting them wander beyond the boundaries. There are various non-intrusive ways to do so, from secure catios and cat enclosures to cat-proof fencing,” advises Le Long.

PD Insurance customers are alerted to the risk of cat fights, with policy wording recommending keeping cats contained and claims for injuries from fighting limited to two for the life of the pet.

You can read the full article here.

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Cat containment is a contentious topic in the media and Sarah says it is important to remember it’s not about demonising cats for the impact they can have on our environment – it’s also about keeping cats healthy and safe.

“Cats allowed to free-roam can lead to predation of wildlife, including native wildlife, disruption of wildlife behaviour, spreading disease like toxoplasmosis, which is a threat to our endangered marine mammals and can be transferred to humans as well, but cats are also at an increased risk of injury or harm to themselves,” says Sarah.

The study aimed to examine which factors best predict engagement in cat containment, and whether there are unique audiences of cat owners in New Zealand that differ significantly in the set of factors that predict their behaviour.

Sarah surveyed 395 New Zealand cat owners using a Lucid Marketplace online sample. Responses came from a broad audience.

“Our findings were that respondents rarely intended to perform or engage in cat containment, which is what we expected based on previous research. From all the factors assessed, people’s engagement in cat containment and intentions to engage in the future were influenced by a broad range of factors, not just one,” she says.

Factors included if someone had the physical and psychological capability to engage, the social and physical opportunity to participate and the motivation to engage. This includes if someone had positive interpersonal influences (a vet that supported cat containment for example), whether they had the time or resources available to modify their home or environment, were concerned about the negative consequences related to free-roaming cats and believed that cat containment is beneficial for cats.

The findings enabled Sarah to segment cat owners into four distinct audiences. The groups were labelled engaged: 6%, receptive: 17%, ambivalent: 48% and opposed: 30%.

“Each audience differed significantly in the set of factors predicting their behaviour and also performed cat containment to significantly different extents. The engaged segment participated in cat containment the most and believed it is beneficial to cats. In comparison the opposed segment participated the least and were the least concerned about the negative impacts of free-roaming.”

Cat containment could include keeping cats inside (or keeping cats inside at night), cat enclosures, escape-proof fenced yards, and supervising cats outside.

Sarah says it is important to look at cat management in New Zealand.

“Broadly speaking, in future I’d like to see a rethink on what it looks like to be a responsible cat owner. An important part of this is bringing people on the journey and changing attitudes. I don’t think it is just about putting rules and regulations in place at a council level, you have to change people’s beliefs and attitudes, educate them about the issue, and give them the tools and resources to make it easy to engage.”

“Key contributions from the research are that now we understand the main causes of people’s decisions to participate or not, interventions can be designed that actually address these things for different audiences of cat owners.”

Sarah has decided to keep her cats at home, building them a ‘catio’ which gives them access to the house and outside.

Sarah completed a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington and a Master of Science in Marketing at the University of Bath. She is now completing her Master of Science in Psychology at the University of Canterbury, supervised by Psychology Professor Don Hine, and intends to enroll to complete a doctorate.

She says her background in marketing has provided valuable skills in social marketing, audience segmentation and behaviour change.

“Some ideas to increase engagement in cat containment based on these findings is to educate people about the prevalence of roaming-related cat injury, use influencers on social media as role models to build positive associations with keeping cats at home and environmental restructuring – making tools easily available for cat containment.”

– University of Canterbury

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But experts agree that this is simply untrue. The Government of Victoria puts it this way:

Contrary to popular belief, cats don’t have to roam. Providing their basic needs are met, cats can enjoy longer and healthier lives when safely contained to the property.

Serious problems can occur if cats are allowed to roam outdoors, particularly at night (around 80% of accidents involving cats happen at night). Roaming cats can get hit by cars, injured in fights, catch fatal diseases (eg feline AIDS) or become lost.

Roaming cats can also kill native wildlife – even well fed cats will hunt. Roaming cats can annoy neighbours too, by spraying, fighting, yowling and digging in gardens.

Source: Cat confinement – enclosures and fencing

The rest is really just common sense. Your cat’s environment – whether it’s indoors only or an indoor/outdoor combination with cat fencing – should incorporate the following:

• Space – room to exercise and to offer variety so they don’t get bored
• Security – so the cat cannot get past the boundary, and cannot injure themself in trying
• Comfort – such as shelter from the sun and rain, a nice bed, litterbox, food and water
• Stimulation – cat toys, things to climb on, maybe another cat to play with 🙂
• You – yes, you need to spend time with your cat, playing and giving affection. And it’s good for both of you!

The post Does my cat need to roam to be happy? appeared first on CATFENCE.

Wilbur, the lucky cat

But it seems that Wilbur’s safe return to his owner, after 16 days away from home, owes an awful lot to good luck. As reported by the New Zealand Herald:

[the owner] first became aware that he might be in the city after noticing a post on a Lost and Found pet’s page on Facebook saying there was a “friendly ginger Tom hanging around the ED, does anybody want him”.

The Herald doesn’t say whether the helpful staff at Waikato Hospital had Wilbur scanned for a microchip (or whether Wilbur was chipped).

But too often we hear of free-roaming cats who don’t make it home safely.

Please keep your cat safe from harm, by keeping your cat at home.

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A selection of cat attack headlines on stuff.co.nz, 28 Sep 2018

We rarely post on this blog about cases of cruelty to cats – either the reports we see in the news or the stories told to us personally by people who have had their cat threatened, injured or killed.

There are a lot of these cases in New Zealand, and we don’t want to turn the blog into a weekly “crime report.”

But we believe that cat owners need to know that allowing their pets to roam freely makes them vulnerable to assault.

So, once in a while, we mention one of these cases as a reminder to all cat owners, that one of the best things you can do for your cat is to keep it safe, by keeping it at home.

Last weekend, an 11-year-old free-roaming cat in Christchurch was shot in the leg. With a gun. In the city, for goodness sake. This was a family pet, who has now had her leg amputated.

She is lucky that this was a non-lethal wound. The next cat might not be.

There are, after all, people who take offence when a roaming cat wanders through their garden. And there are other who simply seem to enjoy hurting animals.

» Read the story on stuff.co.nz

28 Sept 2018

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