Clarification on pet owners’ responsibilities

Published on 09 March 2017

Mildura Rural City Council has moved to clarify Council and residents’ responsibilities surrounding management of domestic cats following recent confusion in the community.

Cat owners in the municipality are required by law to ensure their animals are microchipped and registered, and that animals are contained within owners’ properties at all times.

If cats do escape and wander into a neighbour’s yard, as a first step, Council encourages people to return the animal to its owner and inform them it has entered their property.

If the situation continues, residents are advised to contact Council about the problem or take the animal to Council’s Animal Shelter.

In situations where residents believe trapping the cat is required to resolve their situation, Council has a limited number of cat traps available for hire.

In these cases, residents are responsible for setting up and monitoring these traps.

Council’s cat traps meet all Australian standards and cannot harm animals. The traps feature an open door at one end, which the animal enters before activating a pressure plate, closing the entrance.  Council is not aware of any cases in which cats were harmed by these traps.

Once a cat has been trapped, residents are urged to notify Council staff immediately. Our staff will then collect the trap and scan the animal to determine if it has been microchipped and registered, before contacting the owner.

If the cat is not registered it is housed in Council’s Animal Shelter for eight days.