HORNSBY council has taken brazen actions against feral cats in an effort to save and maintain natural wildlife flora and fauna throughout the bushland shire.
In March 2022, without any council or RSPCA consultation, the NSW government made amendments to the Companion Act of 1998. Requiring councils to hold feral or un-chipped cats for a minimum two weeks, as well as giving notice to at least two rehoming organisations. All to minimise the destruction of seized felines.
The introduction of the amendment measures however, stacked up against councils, with new requirements placing additional costs towards staffing and resources to re-home seized cats, as well as financial pressures to house cats at local vets, one facility at Thornleigh only able to house 3 animals at a time.
At a recent meeting, Hornsby council adopted a new policy that does not require a feral cat to be held for any set length of time prior to euthanasia, and an unowned cat can simply be deemed feral by a vet based on the animal's appearance, behaviour and lack of microchip.
Hornsby General Manager Steven Head addressed the policy adoption.
“Feral cats may well be damaging other domestic pets or taking lives of native fauna, which can be quite a significant issue.
We need to deal with these issues in an appropriate way.”
However not all members of the Hornsby community are entirely on board with the council's new adopted policy.
Executive director and chief scientist of Australian Pet Welfare Foundation, Professor Jacquie Rand weighed in on the debate, chatting with Tina Brown on the podcast ‘Tune In With Tina’.
“The issue is these cats are not feral cats, the council is misleading the community calling them feral. Feral cats are ones that live and reproduce in the wild, these aren't the cats impounded by Hornsby management.”
Professor Rand claiming that the proposed Hornsby policy for having no set length of holding ‘feral’ cats doesn't work. She also shed light on the effect this policy would have on veterinarians.
“Killing healthy animals has a terrible effect on veterinarian lives, euthanasia rates are up from 72% in the last three years, double what the NSW council averages.”
The Australian Pet Welfare Foundation released a statement outlining the psychological impacts euthanasia has on contained cats.
“Increased risk of sever phycological harm to Hornsby residents and Veterinarian staff including depression, traumatic stress and increased suicide risk.”
The APWF have warned Hornsby residents that they should be concerned with the council's measures to minimise the effect feral cats have within the community, suggesting a different approach.
“Implementing community cat programs, which effectively reduce roaming cats, protect wildlife and do not cause psychological harm to people.”
Despite the communities divide, the policy amendments will continue to be pushed by Hornsby Council.
In response to issues associated with the reformed Companions Act 1998, Local government NSW is conducting a review of the current rehoming policy and further considering improvements to the policy operations.
