Resources to help you confine your cat to your property

As the timeline for cat confinement and mandatory cat desexing for newly registered cats draws closer, the City of Whittlesea is reminding residents support is available to help pet owners transition to the new requirements.

From 1 August 2023, to help protect and enhance the welfare and safety of cats in the City of Whittlesea and create a more harmonious environment between pets, people and other animals, cats will be required to be contained to their owner’s property at all times or under effective control when outside the property. Newly registered cats will also be required to be de-sexed.

Chair Administrator Lydia Wilson said Council was committed to supporting residents to comply with the changes to regulations.

“When we endorsed the new regulations, we built in a long lead time to give people plenty of time to get ready for the changes.”

“If you haven’t yet started to prepare your property, I encourage you to visit Council’s website to find hints and tips on how to contain your cat safely on your property.”

Information available on the web page includes:

• a suite of videos on how to build cat-proof fencing and enclosures, including a webinar on keeping cats safe at home
• information on upcoming free do-it-yourself cat enclosure workshops
• local success stories of residents who have successfully transitioned their cat to an at-home lifestyle 
• information on the subsidised cat desexing program
• frequently asked questions about the new regulations.

For more information and support to help prepare for the cat confinement changes visit www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/cats