Indoor cats to become the norm in Queanbeyan under proposal from council

Queanbeyan-Palerang cat owners may need to lock their furry children indoors under a proposed update to a council policy – permanently.

The Cat Containment Policy, which came into force in May 2021, made Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council the first council in NSW to adopt such a policy.

It means cats in some areas of the Queanbeyan Palerang local government area (LGA) already need to be kept within their owner’s property 24 hours a day. They can be held within the residence or in an enclosed area located outside, such as in a courtyard.

Cats can leave the property, though they must be kept in a cat carrier or on a leash when outside.

A plan from Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) would see this policy expanded to cover the entire LGA.

A spokesperson told Region council wanted to “work proactively” to ensure animals of all sizes – and species – were kept as safe as possible.

“Studies show that cats kept safely at home are less likely to pick up diseases, live longer lives, and are less likely to be injured,” they said.

“This policy is also designed to protect our wildlife, and both of these things are important to our residents.”

The updated Cat Containment Policy would be up for review every four years, or earlier if needed by legislation.

“If the policy is adopted, our animal management officers will be applying the same approach for roaming cats as they currently do for roaming dogs,” said the spokesperson.

“The policy also has a staged approach [depending on a cat’s age] which will give the community and our staff time to adjust to the new requirements.”

The expansion of the Cat Containment Policy would happen in two stages:

• From 1 July, 2025, all cats born on or after 1 January 2025 will need to be kept inside
• From 1 July, 2026, all cats (regardless of their age) must be contained inside.

Under the draft policy, a resident can call council if they see a cat outside, though council’s on-call animal management officer will not respond to calls after hours.

“If residents see roaming cats and are able to secure them, our animal management officers can collect them on the next business day,” they said.

“Residents reporting roaming cats in cat containment areas are encouraged to hire a cat trap from council. If a roaming cat is captured, the resident must take the cat to the animal management facility so its microchip can be scanned and returned to its owner or placed for adoption.”

According to the draft policy, there is a refundable deposit for the cost of the trap.

“Repeated reports of roaming cats within a cat containment area may result in the cat being declared a nuisance animal and subsequent infringements may apply,” according to the draft policy.

The containment policy currently applies to Jumping Creek development, Googong Sunset development, Elmslea Grove (North Elmslea), Braidwood Ridge and South Jerrabomberra (Tralee), as well as Googong (Neighbourhoods 2-6) and all future greenfield developments in the Queanbeyan-Palerang LGA.

Additionally, cat owners in the rest of Googong will need to keep their cats indoors from 26 May 2026, when the policy expands to cover those suburbs.

In May 2021, QPRC said it had experienced an increase in cat-related complaints, including cats digging and defecating in private gardens, scratching vehicles, fighting at night and causing excess noise, hunting and killing wildlife and contributing to nuisance dog barking.

The Australian Government has announced funding for projects using hi-tech methods, such as drone-based thermal cameras and eDNA technologies, to track feral cats and minimise the devastating impact they have on native wildlife.

The public can comment on the proposed changes to QPRC’s Cat Containment Policy until 9 October through the Your Voice QPRC website. People can complete an online survey or contact council directly with their feedback.

Original Article published by Claire Sams on About Regional.