The Marlborough District Council must strengthen the Animals Bylaw 2017 to support responsible pet cat ownership.

The stray and dumped cat population is growing at an alarming rate. Marlborough Four Paws volunteers remove stray and dumped cats from community areas providing crucial support for the conservation groups that protect our native bird populations. We are seeing a level of breeding and disease we haven’t seen before. There is a daunting amount of work needed in our region and we need our council to understand this.

Currently the Marlborough District Council Animals Bylaw 2017 does not support responsible pet cat ownership. The bylaw needs updating to stop pets continually boosting the stray and dumped population.

We are asking our Marlborough District Council leaders to ACT NOW. Amend the Animals Bylaw 2017 to include micro-chipping and desexing of pet cats to reduce animal suffering and protect our native birdlife.