Planned rules over microchipping and desexing of cats from 4 months of age could apply in the Far North. Photo/ Maddisyn Jeffares
Planned rules over microchipping and desexing of cats from 4 months of age could apply in the Far North. Photo/ Maddisyn Jeffares
Far North cat owners will have to microchip their pets and desex them under a new keeping of animals bylaw introduced by the Far North District Council.
Council voted on Thursday to implement a new animal control bylaw after its previous one was automatically revoked in 2019 as the council had not voted in a new one.
The new bylaw introduces a keeping of cats section, for the first time, that council staff say will likely “generate considerable interest and views may deeply divide the community”.
One Far North cat rescue group that has taken in more than 2000 cats in three years - Coast to Coast Cat Rescue - has welcomed the new bylaw, saying it will instigate the beginning of changes to behaviour, culture, and the way we do things with pet cats.
In a report for the meeting staff said the bylaw is also “likely to have an impact on the social, economic, environmental or cultural wellbeing of the district or an aspect of the district (e.g. a particular ward, a community of interest, a geographic area or demographic)“.
After Far North councillors voted to approve the proposed new bylaw, it will be open to public consultation from September 23 to November 18.
Under the keeping of cats section the bylaw says any person keeping, or permitting that any cat(s) be kept must always ensure that:
Any such cat(s) over the age of 4 months is microchipped and the microchip registered with NZ Companion Animal Register;
Any such cat(s) over the age of 4 months is desexed, unless, the cat is kept for breeding purposes and registered with a nationally recognised breeders body, or, the owner provides a certificate from a vet stating that the desexing will adversely affect its health and/or welfare.
Councillor Ann Court, who moved the motion, said the cat section of the bylaw would be controversial and the council should gird itself for some opposition.
Wild cats are a big problem in the Far North, with this clutter living under pensioner flats in Ahipara.
Coast to Coast Cat Rescue is based in Kerikeri and trust chairwoman Sam Stewart said the bylaw would help address problems with the overpopulation of cats in the Far North.
“Since we started tackling cats back in April 2021 we have had a total of 2056 cats and kittens come into care, nearly all of them were not desexed. A significant proportion of these cats were likely previously owned - but strayed or were lost - or may have been unwanted kittens of owned or stray cats,“ Stewart said.
“There are many positive benefits to cat ownership, however, we must also acknowledge the problems associated with cat overpopulation and feral cats.“
These included nuisance behaviours such as fighting; running across roads; entering other houses stealing other pets’ food and spraying; uncontrolled breeding resulting in unwanted kittens; public health concerns, such as toileting in neighbours’ gardens and children’s sandpits; getting into rubbish; predation of wildlife; financial and emotional impacts on persons who find and try to rehome the unwanted kittens, and increased burden on rescue groups.
“Uncontrolled cat breeding causes a risk to health through the transmission of zoonotic diseases such as ringworm and flea infestation, toxoplasmosis, gastrointestinal infections, and infection resulting from cat bites and scratches,“ she said.
The compulsory desexing of companion cats would help to slow cat population growth, Stewart said.
“Compulsory microchipping will give each cat an individual identifying number, and compulsory registration ... will link the cat to an owner.
“The bylaw will instigate the beginning of a change of behaviour, a change of culture and a change in the way we do things with our pet cats.“
Stewart saw the bylaw as the beginning of a platform of change which will hopefully become the ‘new normal’ in cat ownership.
She also praised the council for not putting a limit to how many cats a person could have.
“Numbers are not an issue when desexed and chipped and living with a responsible cat owner. The number of cats a person owns only becomes an issue when that person is hoarding and can no longer care for all of them. This then becomes a multidisciplinary approach with the SPCA, mental health and the health and safety part of the council getting involved.“
Stewart said that by introducing the bylaw the council is giving a strong message to the community that they support responsible cat ownership, value our environment, want to protect our unique biodiversity, and care about the residents of the Far North.
Pigs can only be kept on property zoned rural living, rural production, rural lifestyle, rural residential or industrial;
No more than 10 hens on property zoned residential, rural living, commercial or industrial;
No bees if, in the opinion of a enforcement officer, the keeping of bees is likely to become a nuisance or potential danger to people. Hives must be no closer than 5m to a boundary and the property must be at least 500sq m;
Horses, goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas and cattle cannot be kept on properties zoned residential, commercial, or industrial. Anybody taking a horse in public places must clean up its droppings.
Other councils with cat bylaws already in place include Palmerston North, Whanganui, Hutt City, Ruapehu, Wellington City, Selwyn District Council, Manawatū, Buller, while councils currently in consultation include Tasman District, Waikato, and Nelson.
