Cat dumping highlights need for compulsory sterilisation

Press Release issued: 26 January 2010 at 5:45pm

During December last year Cat Haven was inundated with close to 1000 unwanted cats and kittens during the biggest cat dumping period of the year.

With not enough space for the large amount of dumped pets to be kept and nowhere for the surplus to go, nearly 600 pets were put to sleep.

Cat Haven spokesperson Jessica Reid said one of the biggest misconceptions in the media was that the main reason for kittens flooding shelters at Christmas time was people buying kittens as Christmas presents and then dumping them after Christmas.

"Cat Haven, as well as other animal shelters get cats dumped all year round," Ms Reid said

"The biggest reason for the peak in December and January isn't because unwanted 'presents' are being dumped, it's because August is the peak breeding month for cats and not enough people are sterilising their pets."

Ms Reid said sterilisation was not only vital in keeping the unwanted cat population under control, it was also important in preventing other issues in the community.

"Unsterilised cats have a biological need to procreate, and so this involves marking their territory, an increased tendency to hunt wild life, roaming far and wide in search of a mate, and fighting with any opposition which results in cat fights, often at night, which are a massive disturbance to the community.

"By enforcing sterilisation, problems caused to neighbourhoods and the environment by unsterilised pets can be drastically reduced."

Jandakot MLA Joe Francis, who is drafting a state sterilisation law, said problems caused by lack of sterilisation highlighted the need for compulsory sterilisation.

"Mandatory desexing of cats is necessary to cut the number of unwanted cats," Mr Francis said.

Mr Francis said the state government is hoping to have the legislation through as soon as possible this year.

 

 

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