Cat ownership
Cats are a popular pet in many households, but they must be kept in a way that protects the public from nuisance, maintains public health and safety, and protects the welfare of the animal.
Council enforcement staff are obliged to follow up and act on any animal complaints, as per the Animal Nuisance Bylaw 2013.
If you’re considering buying or adopting a cat, the SPCA has a useful guide for owners.
STEP 1: YOU
What to do if you find a stray cat
Abandoned, Sick or Injured Stray Cats
If you find a sick, injured or abandoned cat, or have welfare concerns about a cat, please call SPCA Hamilton on 07 847 4868 and select Option 2 to speak to Welfare.
Healthy stray cats
If you have a friendly and healthy cat that persistently visits your property, you can download a paper collar to write on and alert the owner.
Catching stray cats
If the owner doesn’t respond to the paper collar, we can provide you with a trap to catch the cat. There is a $50 cash bond which is refunded when the trap is returned undamaged.
| Cat Trap Hireage | per week | $22.00 |
When you have trapped the cat, please bring it to us so we can assess if it is feral or someone’s pet cat. If the cat is a pet, you must release the cat where you caught it.
What to do if you find a feral cat
You can normally tell if a cat is feral as it will be very scared and wary of people. If you’re unsure whether it is a pet or feral, please catch the cat using one of our small animal traps above and bring it into us.
If we confirm the cat is feral, we’ll ask you to drop the cat at our vet to be humanely euthanised. Please note we only assess cats that have been caught in our traps.
Step 2: you
Submit your application
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Last updated 7 June 2022