In October 2024, a Parliamentary Inquiry was established to inquire and report on the management of cat populations in New South Wales.
RSPCA NSW provided a detailed submission and gave evidence before the Committee, based on our extensive experience working on holistic, ‘One Welfare’ approaches to cat management that balance the interests of the environment, cats, and the people who care about them.
Thanks to the assistance of the NSW Environmental Trust, RSPCA NSW were able to trial a human behaviour-change approach to cat management – Keeping Cats Safe at Home – that proved highly successful. Keeping Cats Safe at Home combined targeted cat desexing programs, which directly addressed cat overpopulation, with an education and engagement campaign to increase cat caregivers’ knowledge and confidence in preventing their cats from roaming. The four-year project was associated with reductions in the free-roaming cat population, cat-related nuisance complaints to council, and reductions in council pound cat intake and euthanasia.
In our submission, we made six recommendations, including:
- Replace the current cat management approaches across NSW with consistent, state-wide approaches that are evidence-based, adequately funded and incorporate appropriate monitoring and ongoing evaluation.
- Support large-scale, targeted desexing programs such as that provided through our Keeping Cats Safe at Home program.
- Reform the Companion Animals Act 1988 (NSW) to require councils to assist their communities with unowned, lost, or abandoned cats by collecting unowned cats when requested, and by providing accessible surrender and rehoming services.
- Invest in research on appropriate indicators of the potential positive or negative impacts of mandatory containment on cats, wildlife, and the community.
Following the inquiry the Committee released a report containing ten recommendations. In advance of the Government reply, RSPCA NSW responds to the recommendations below:
Committee Recommendations | RSPCA NSW Response |
|---|---|
Recommendation 1 – That the Government ensure cat management programs are underpinned by sound, peer-reviewed scientific evidence, with clear objectives and measurable metrics established to evaluate their effectiveness. | Support – RSPCA NSW supports the replacement of current approaches with consistent, state-wide strategies that are evidence-based, funded, and incorporate appropriate monitoring and evaluation. Programs must be designed considering the different needs of different cat populations and measured against clearly defined objectives. |
Recommendation 2 – That the Government provide grants to councils and rescue and rehoming organisations to carry out free and subsidised desexing programs throughout the state, including desexing of ‘owned’ cats for those on lower incomes, and large-scale, targeted community cat desexing programs. | Support – Large-scale, targeted desexing programs are the most effective cat management strategy. Evidence from the Keeping Cats Safe at Home (KCSAH) project demonstrates they reduce nuisance complaints, shelter intake and euthanasia, while engaging semi-owners and preventing population growth. Grants would enable expansion of these proven approaches. |
Recommendation 3 – That the Government expand the capacity for high-volume desexing in New South Wales through animal welfare agencies, veterinary schools, and private veterinary practices. | Support – Expanding capacity through animal welfare agencies, veterinary schools and private practices is vital to increase accessibility of desexing, particularly in areas where these services are currently lacking. Without expanded capacity, targeted programs cannot be delivered at the necessary scale to address overpopulation. |
Recommendation 4 – To assist rural and regional councils with desexing programs, the NSW Government should investigate ways to provide additional support including but not limited to encouraging metropolitan veterinarians and mobile desexing programs to regularly visit rural and regional areas, providing this does not have a negative impact on local service providers. | Support – Rural and regional towns and properties face significant challenges due to migration of cats from surrounding natural landscapes and limited veterinary access. KCSAH results in Walgett and Weddin show targeted desexing dramatically reduce intake, complaints and euthanasia where sufficient veterinary capacity can be engaged. Additional government support would allow equitable access to services in these areas. |
Recommendation 5 – That the Government, as part of its review of the Companion Animals Act 1998, consider legislative, regulatory and policy changes necessary to support the effectiveness and operation of community cat desexing programs. | Support – The current Companion Animals Act 1998 limits councils’ ability to manage cats effectively and creates barriers for desexing initiatives. Reform is required to clarify obligations and enable accessible surrender, rehoming and desexing services to support successful community-based programs. In particular, the requirement to register cats and pay a life-time registration fee is an important barrier to engaging caregivers of unowned or “community” cats in desexing programs. |
Recommendation 6 – That the Government provide funding to cat rescue and rehoming organisations to support desexing, care and rehoming costs. | Support – Rescue and rehoming groups play a critical role in caring for and rehoming cats, particularly when councils decline surrenders. Funding is essential to prevent these organisations becoming overwhelmed and to ensure humane, sustainable management outcomes. |
Recommendation 7 – That, as part of the upgrade of the NSW Pet Registry and Companion Animal Register, the Government prioritise consultation with rehoming organisations, with a view to ensuring greater access for these organisations. | Support – Improved access will enhance the ability of rehoming organisations to identify, track and manage cats effectively, reducing duplication, improving outcomes and supporting collaboration across stakeholders. |
Recommendation 8 – That the Government explore legislative options to regulate the breeding of cats, including consideration of outlawing kitten farming and the sale of cats from breeders in pet shops. | Provisionally Supported – RSPCA NSW considers the amendments to Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (NSW) (POCTAA) relating to the breeding of dogs to have been a missed opportunity to also regulate the breeding of cats. We support wholistic review to modernise POCTAA, the Regulations and for this purpose, the Animal Welfare Code of Practice for Breeding Dogs and Cats. |
Recommendation 9 – That the Government invest in research and trials for humane means of fertility control, such as immune-contraceptives and gene drive technology. | Support – Humane and effective fertility control research is urgently needed. RSPCA NSW emphasises that management of cat populations must reduce impacts, not simply numbers, and methods should be humane, targeted and effective. Investment in innovations like contraceptives would be a major advancement for feline welfare and long-term management. |
Recommendation 10 – That the Government should explore options to work with councils and rehoming organisations to fund educational, behaviour-change programs and other support programs (such as the provision of cat enclosures) to encourage people to keep cats indoors or contained. | Support – Programs based on human behaviour change science, like KCSAH, are effective at supporting the voluntary uptake of containment, while also increasing uptake of desexing. KCSAH reached over two million people in FY2023, demonstrating strong engagement. Continued investment in positive, welfare-focused behaviour-change initiatives is key to reducing impacts on wildlife and improving feline welfare while avoiding unintended consequences like increasing cat abandonment, surrender and euthanasia. |
