Cat owners on Bruny Island who let their cats stray could be slapped with hefty fines under Tasmania's toughest new management laws.
Man I hope they actually enforce these fines:
Cat owners on Bruny Island who continue to let their felines stray could be slapped with a $600 fine under tough new laws to crack down on wildlife killings and feral populations.
Every year in the Kingborough Council region in southern Tasmania, 180,000 native animals are killed by domestic cats alone.
The new laws will be exclusive to Bruny Island, which contains an estimated 2,000 feral cats, and be the toughest in Tasmania.
They include compulsory registration, de-sexing of domestic cats before six months of age, and a limit of two cats per household in the absence of a permit.
Most cat owners surveyed on Bruny Island already de-sex and microchip their cats, but almost 60 per cent were letting them roam.
"They need to keep their cats on their property," Ms Allan said.
She said it would be up to owners to decide how they restrict their cats; whether it was by keeping them inside, using better fences or constructing outside enclosures.
"All cats that either reside permanently on the island or regularly visit the island will need to be registered with council.
"They have to be kept within their owner's property boundaries at all times, unless they are on a lead or restrained in a car.
"If there is a complaint against your cat and your cat roams regularly on your property boundary then we will be taking action," she said.
The laws on Bruny Island will come into effect later this year.
