Cat owners may be forced to spend thousands on building custom enclosures for their pets if powerful new laws are passed next year.
Local councils in Western Australia could be granted new powers to enforce cat containment and fine owners whose pets stray too far from home.
The federal government is currently amending the Cat Act 2011, with the changes expected to come into effect from as early as 2026.
Building a large custom cat enclosure can cost upwards of $4,500.
It’s been estimated that since colonisation in 1788, cats have played a leading role in most of Australia’s 34 mammal extinctions.
A University of Sydney study found that each roaming cat killed an average of 186 reptiles, birds and mammals per year.
The 2020 report showed a death rate of 4,440 to 8,100 animals per square kilometre per year in areas inhabited by pet cats.
In Australia, 2.7million pet cats, or 71 per cent, are able to roam free and hunt wildlife.
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