ABC News 12 April 2025 University of Queensland study finds cats more likely to be euthanased for being stray than to die from disease https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-12/stray-cat-management-trapping-desexing/105165002?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
No Kill Shelter 'Save a Dog' is fighting to keep its Glen Iris Shelter. Stonnington Council meeting 28th of April, 7pm. Pound-tender is for the killing Lost Dogs Home - where many dogs and cats lose their lives Contact Councillors before they vote. Attend the Council Meeting 7pm 28th April. Ask a public meeting question. Watch meeting live: https://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/About/About-Council/Council-meetings Agenda: https://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/About/About-Council/Council-meetings/Minutes-and-agendas More info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/266986293976955/user/682117678 Unlike Knox, Stonnington has made changes to now accept online petitions without addresses.
Please help City of Melbourne cats by filling-in Melbourne's Domestic Animal 2026-2029 (DAMP) survey, or send an email, or by post by midnight 29th April. Please ask for a City of Melbourne Community Cat Program. Please include the science article links (some are below). Can also ask for a no-kill pound contractor, such as Save a Dog. Animal managers need training - punitive policing on the 14percent of owners, and high fines on renters, make more strays, more homeless. Community Cat Programs also help dogs - reducing impounded cats, freeing-up up more resources to care for and rehome dogs. Be aware that Councils make night-curfews, then say they do not work, and then make 24-hr curfews. Knox counted night-curfew supporters, as support for 24-hrs. Please read the scientific evidence. Online Survey: https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/domestic-animal-management-plan-2026-29 Email: animalmanagement@melbourne.vic.gov.au Post: Animal Management GPO Box 1603, Melbourne, VIC 3001. Consultation closes on 29th April, 2025. (Often these surveys are open worldwide, able to be completed multiple times, anonymously, allowing hate-groups to manipulate figures.)
On April 1 2025, City of Melbourne made a 14-hr cat curfew, as the 'next step' (to 24-hrs). Agenda 6.1 9. published, falsely, that City of Stonnington had introduced a cat curfew. Councillor pushing 24-hrs said 'Merri-bek has 24-hr containment provisions which is our neighbouring council...' 'and Merri-bek cats are contained all day long'. Untrue, Merri-bek Council rejected curfew/mandated containment, to focus on unowned cats. Why lie about smarter councils? Determined to copycat curfews, Melbourne's Mayor joked of a 'dog's breakfast', a 'cat-as-trophe.' '5456 cats' '56 cat complaints'. Vote was 5-to-5, then the Mayor used his extra vote to make the curfew. City of Melbourne has 86percent of impounded, unowned, cats. 369 cats were impounded in 2024, and 30-36percent are killed every year by the contracted Lost Dogs Home. Melbourne's cat curfew will rise strays, rise impoundments, rise expenses, and rise the deaths of kittens, and wildlife.
CoM has now corrected its Stonnington claim on its website, two weeks after having used the untruths to make the cat curfew. No correction on the falsehoods about Merri-bek. The Melbourne Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation is a major funder of the Invasive Species Council - which pushes Australia-wide cat curfews. The Age and Sydney Morning Herald reported on ISC's plan to collar Victoria's 'threatened species' native dingoes, against their welfare, and without consulting First Nations. https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/dingoes-to-be-collared-in-contentious-bid-to-protect-sheep-20250401-p5lo8v.html
Science articles:
Urban Cat Management in Australia - Evidence-Based Strategies for Success
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/8/1083
Rethinking Urban Cat Management—Limitations and Unintended Consequences of Traditional Cat Management: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/7/1005
Stray and Owner-Relinquished Cats in Australia—Estimation of Numbers Entering Municipal Pounds, Shelters and Rescue Groups and Their Outcomes: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/11/1771
Impacts of a Local Government Funded Free Cat Sterilization Program for Owned and Semi-owned Cats: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/11/1615 Cat Caring Behaviors and Ownership Status of Residents Enrolling a Cat in a Free Sterilization Program https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/20/3022
A Situational Analysis of Attitudes toward Stray Cats and Preferences and Priorities for Their Management https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/20/2953
Community Cat Programs: https://petwelfare.org.au/community-cat-programs
Video: Emeritus Professor Jacquie Rand at Getting to Zero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQbK3R36Xjg
Australian Pet Welfare Foundation on cat containment: https://petwelfare.org.au/position-statements/cat-containment
Community Cat Programs resources: https://petwelfare.org.au/community-cat-resources
Cats and Wildlife. Flawed Data in Australian media Download - Issues to Consider About Cats and Urban Wildlife
https://petwelfare.org.au/position-statements/domestic-cats
Domestic urban cats are not 'feral': https://petwelfare.org.au/position-statements/cat-definitions No 'feral' cats enter Australian Council pounds.
The Conversation: ‘Australian shelters and pounds kill 50,000 mostly healthy cats and kittens in a year. There’s a way to prevent this pointless killing’: https://theconversation.com/australian-shelters-and-pounds-kill-50-000-mostly-healthy-cats-and-kittens-in-a-year-theres-a-way-to-prevent-this-pointless-killing-201947
Australian Pet Welfare Foundation's 2024 report: https://petwelfare.org.au/community-cat-programs https://framerusercontent.com/assets/rRqw378T9rF0X5wnik14Bac6A4.pdf Australian Pet Welfare Foundation's new website, lists peer-reviewed science publications in MDPI Animals: https://petwelfare.org.au/publications and government submissions: https://petwelfare.org.au/government-submissions https://petwelfare.org.au/
Thank you to everyone who sent to Knox DAMP asking to end the 24-hr cat curfew. Knox AdvoCats submission to Knox Domestic Animal Management Plan 2025-2029: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1esBroebQc-L8fJygVeBYYanUvK1-vNQ0EJlbNEpBg64/edit?usp=sharing Thank you to Jenny Cotterell and Lisa Orfanidis for input. Thank you to Andrew Dixon for pointing-out the impact to females - it took a male to speak-up for women being scared of not being taking seriously. Thank you to everyone for sharing their experience. Australian Pet Welfare Foundation's submission to Knox (DAMP 25-29): https://framerusercontent.com/assets/hM43OHLmPjaY8EeYyYeOqq0qQg.pdf
Cost Savings $1million. Urban Cat Management in Australia - Evidence-Based Strategies for Success
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/8/1083 pages 9-10
'Cat-related calls to Banyule Council decreased in the target area by 51% and citywide by 36%. Savings associated with reduced cat-related calls to council, and the reduction in time spent by AMOs addressing complaints, estimated at A$290 per call, was approximately A$137,170 over the 8 years of the program. Further savings to council emanated from reduced costs associated with charges from the contracted shelter (A$303,490). The total estimated savings over eight years were A$440,660. The cost to council for sterilizations and microchipping amounted to A$77,490 for the 8 years. Similar or greater decreases in cat-related calls to councils in NSW and Queensland over two to three years were reported following implementation of similar programs. Flow-on effects of these programs include significant benefits to the contracted shelter, due to reduced cat intake. Given the estimated cost for each admitted cat of at least A$400 and in some cases over A$1000 for housing, sterilization, microchipping, and miscellaneous veterinary care, it is estimated that the program in the City of Banyule saved the shelter contracted (CPS) approximately A$619,942 over the eight years based on a cost of $400/cat, less income paid by Banyule per cat ($80/cat until 2017/18 and $150/cat from 2018/2019). Over the eight years of the program, total savings to the local government and the contracted shelter were estimated to be closer to A$1 million'.
Additional flow-on, uncosted, savings would be community mental health and wellbeing.
Thank you AdvoCats for Animals!
photo of a homeless Knox cat, which lives in a backyard chicken-coop, sharing the chickens' food and burrowing in the straw to sleep. The chickens are laying-well. It is a small, very scaredy-cat. Victoria's 90percent of homeless, stray cats, have no carers to contain them, or to convict. Cat curfews target renters for high fines, and rise animal deaths.