Australia’s cat dilemma: What’s behind the debate on shelter stays and pet management?

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Key Points
  • Rescue groups fear shorter cat holding periods will lead to more euthanisation and increase pressure on the groups.
  • Wildlife protectors demand cat containment and desexing to save Australia’s ecosystem.
  • Animal welfare groups want nationwide reform and standardised cat management regulations across all councils.
Content warning: This story contains references to animal suffering.
Trish Taylor recalls when Australia’s streets were overrun with strays.
In the Victorian suburb Collingwood, then an industrial area, she ran a self-funded “cat colony” with a trap-and-release program.

She would take the trapped strays for desexing, believing it was the right path.

However, she said decades ago, attitudes towards cat management began to change as the animal rescue sector grew.
“We’re the compassionate side of rescue, volunteering and using social media to hold the animal shelters sector accountable,” Taylor, who is now president of the Victorian Dog Resource Group Inc, told SBS Polish.

Recently, rescue groups have raised concerns about the new Victorian Cat Management Strategy 2025–2035, particularly the consideration to reduce stray hold time in pounds and shelters from eight days to four.

Project Meow Geelong Facebook page

Project Meow Geelong Facebook page

“The four-day holding period [will lead] to rushed decisions and gives shelters an excuse to humanely kill for space,” Lisa Kearns, from cat desexing charity Project Meow, said.

“Timid cats, scared in that environment, can appear wild and be mistaken for strays. I once saw a cat set to be euthanised, only saved when his owner arrived just in time — the animal leapt into his arms like a child,” she claimed.

Recently found in a Bayside Council backyard, along with a neighbour’s unneutered cat and five kittens. Credit: Agnieszka Burton

In Victoria, only about 10 per cent of stray cats are reclaimed by owners, while 50-60 per cent are rehomed, leaving the remainder to be euthanised. Credit: Agnieszka Burton

Kearns said shelters and pounds send rescue groups a “kill list” of dogs and cats in the hopes they can be adopted last-minute.

She said rescue groups and pounds meet weekly on the Calder Highway in Melbourne, by the BP service station, where large trailers full of animals pull in. Multiple rescue groups gather to take some of the animals, and it happens every week.

“The proposed four-day holding period will put even more pressure (on us), forcing us to be there daily. I worry fewer people will take animals to pounds, leading to more strays and growing colonies,” Kearns said.

Shelters welcome reform proposal

Under Victoria’s Domestic Animals Act 1994, the statutory holding period allows eight days for pet owners to reclaim their animals, explains Mhairi Roberts, policy and advocacy manager at RSPCA Victoria.
“On day nine, welfare groups take ownership and prepare animals for adoption, but treatments like desexing or surgery recovery can delay this. The [Cat management] plan will shorten that wait by allowing procedures during the eight-day hold,” she said.
Ian Crook, CEO of Cat Protection Society of Victoria, said, “As an industry, we believe this hot topic — shorter holding periods — would help.

“Overcrowded facilities are costly, and starting rehoming earlier could be beneficial.”

Mhairi Roberts, RSPCA Victoria. Credit: Agnieszka Burton

Mhairi Roberts says Victoria’s new cat management proposal will shorten procedural wait times. Credit: Agnieszka Burton

Shelters and pounds aren’t regulated on the maximum number of days they can keep cats. They hold them until adoption, transfer to rescue groups, or euthanasia.

The Victorian government says each year, tens of thousands of domestic cats find themselves in the state’s pounds and shelters.

Only about 10 per cent are reclaimed by owners, while 50-60 per cent are rehomed, leaving the remainder to be euthanised, according to the state’s cat management strategy.

Sophie Patrick, communications manager of the Victorian Department of Agriculture, said, “The Victorian Cat Management Strategy proposes a shorter holding period for unidentified cats, but this will require extensive consultation.

“The eight-day holding period for identified cats remains unchanged. Unidentified cats will have a shorter holding period to speed up adoption and free up shelter space.”

One of Australia’s deadliest killers

Jack Gough, CEO of the holds very different views on felines.
Jack Gough. Credit: Invasive Species Council Australia

Jack Gough praised the Victorian government’s cat management strategy but emphasised the need for overall change in pet ownership culture. Credit: Invasive Species Council Australia

“Cats arrived in Australia in 1788 on the First Fleet. Within 70 years, they had spread across the land, causing more environmental damage than anywhere else,” Gough said.

He said there were more pet cats than feral ones, and their impact in the suburbs was more significant, as owners kept their numbers high by feeding them and letting them roam.
Each roaming cat kills around 110 native creatures yearly, contributing to over 300 million deaths annually, Gough said.

While some people are uncomfortable about euthanasia, reducing the number of cats on the streets is crucial for protecting native wildlife, he added.

Credit: Invasive Species Council Australia

Credit: Invasive Species Council Australia

He praised the Victorian government’s steps but stressed the need for education, neutering, registration and containment programs to drive cultural change, all of which would take time.

“Currently, 45 of 79 Victorian councils have 24/7 cat containment rules. … Curfews, used by some, (are implemented during times) when wildlife is killed — birds and lizards by day, mammals like possums at night,” Gough said.

Cat management laws across Australia

Cat strategies across Australia vary widely, depending on government regulations and local council rules.
Queensland’s cat management regulations are handled by local councils, and each council may have its own rules.

In WA, the Cat Act is currently under review. According to the government’s Cat Local Law Guidelines, local councils develop policies to address specific needs, balancing local requirements with their available resources.

Credit: Invasive Species Council Australia

Credit: Invasive Species Council Australia

The NSW government is also working to change the state’s cat management situation.

In a media release in February, Ron Hoenig, minister for local government, said that NSW pet laws are being reviewed, without providing further information.

According to a spokesperson from South Australia’s Department for Environment, under the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995, there is no statewide minimum holding period for seized cats.

What cat owners say about curfews and the holding period proposal

Gabriella* (name changed), a resident of Victoria’s Bayside Council, which enforces 24-hour containment for cats, explained that despite the curfew, her tabby Benji continues to use his cat flap to explore the garden.
She said she hadn’t been informed about the proposed rule change and learned it through word of mouth.

“Four days seems a bit short, but responsible owners should retrieve their cats within that time,” Gabriella added.

Cat Protection Society of Victoria staff, working with felines held in cat cages for 8 days. Credit: Agnieszka Burton

Cat Protection Society of Victoria staff work with felines held in cat cages for eight days. Credit: Agnieszka Burton

“I understand shelters are overcrowded, so they probably need to manage this somehow.”

Having previously paid a $390 fine for Benji’s unregistered status, she believes the current containment rules are “too harsh” and that building a cat enclosure is too expensive.

Peter* (name changed), from Kingston, said his 14-year-old desexed ginger Bandito roamed at night despite the council’s curfew.
He noted he wasn’t informed about the curfew and felt the council only collected the annual registration fee without offering support.

“Cats should be held for at least eight days. My cat is microchipped, so I’d expect a call the next day and be prepared to pay a fine.”

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