Cat Owner Responsibilities

Cat registration and details

Under the Cat Act 2011, all domestic cats over six months old must be sterilised, microchipped and registered. To register your cat or to notify us of a change to your animal’s details, please go to Cat registration and change of details.

Number of cats allowed

Only three cats are permitted to be kept at any one residence.

You may keep kittens until they reach the age of six months.

Should you wish to keep more than three cats then you must make an application to Shire of Harvey.

Please contact us to find out more.

Breeding of cats

If you wish to breed cats, you must apply for a Breeding Permit (renewed annually). To find out more, including eligibility, contact us.

When selling or giving away a cat, it must be microchipped and sterilised prior to the transfer of ownership. If the cat is too young to be sterilised, you must provide a prepaid sterilisation voucher to the new owner.

Nuisance cats and traps

To ensure your cat does not become a nuisance to your neighbours or harms wildlife, the following tips are suggested for responsible cat owners:

• The cat remains on your property.
• The cat wears a collar with name, contact number and registration tag.

If you are experiencing a nuisance cat, traps are available for hire from the Shire Officer, during office hours, for a deposit amount of $50.00 for a period of 7 days. If the trap is still required after that period a $3.50 daily charge will apply. To hire a trap please contact us.

• Rangers will collect a cat from a resident in a Shire trap only.
• The cat is to remain in the trap until collection. 
• We encourage a towel or blanket to be placed over the trap to keep the animal calm until the Ranger is in attendance.

All impounded cats are checked for registration tags and scanned for microchipping details.  Go to Animal pound (cats and dogs).

• If the cat is identifiable  with a microchip or registration tag, the owner is contacted by Ranger Services and arrangements are made to claim the cat from the Shire's Animal Pound; fees and charges will apply. 
• If the cat is not identifiable via a microchip or registration tag the cat may be rehomed after a period of 3 days.
• Any cat deemed to be feral, will be disposed of  as per the Cat Act 2011.

More information and contacts

For more information about cat owner responsibilities, please contact us.

Related legislation

• Cat Act 2011

Related pages

• Cat registration and change of details
• Animal pound (cats and dogs)
• Dog registration and change of details
• Dog owner responsibilities