NSW Greens introduce bill calling for cat owners to be fined for letting their pets roam free

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Every year in New South Wales, it's estimated almost two hundred million native animals are killed by domestic cats. Just days ago, the Greens introduced a bill to Parliament calling for cat owners to be fined for letting their pets roam free. While the government has no current plans to punish pet owners, it has announced millions in new funding to keep cats contained.

Transcript

00:00It's hard to believe something so cute and fluffy

00:05could become a potentially ruthless predator.

00:09But that's the reality of owning a cat that some owners don't want to face.

00:14The amount of times I hear people that are cat owners that think they're responsible

00:17but would say to us regularly that there's no way my cat's out there hunting because I feed it.

00:22Cats are cats. They're way smarter than humans.

00:25And it's what they do. It's what cats do.

00:28So, $6 million from the Environmental Trust will expand a pilot program

00:34that's been encouraging owners to keep their feline friends inside.

00:38In conjunction with the RSPCA, it's also performed more than 2,500 de-sexing procedures targeting strays.

00:46What it's meant is that there are just less roaming cats in places like the Blue Mountains and Campbelltown

00:52and also far west of New South Wales.

00:55The Greens have proposed legislation so that owners who fail to contain their cats can be fined,

01:01starting at just $11 but getting higher for repeat offenders.

01:05This notion that cats can just freely roam around communities and neighbourhoods, it's just got to end.

01:13Cats have been getting a free pass for a heck of a long time.

01:16I don't think that's necessarily the way that we actually get the behaviour change that we want.

01:20I think that the people's passion for their cats is such that education programs work really well.

01:26It's not just about saving wildlife. Containing cats is also about saving them from dangers outside the home,

01:32like cars and other pets.

01:35Your cat is likely to live on average 10 years longer if it's contained on your property.

01:41They may have nine lives, but sometimes cats still need to be saved from themselves.

01:50The twins are about their cats and what they can't beaćent for the ones.

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