KEY POINTS:
Whangarei cat-lovers could be limited to just two cats a property if a proposed new bylaw goes ahead.
The Whangarei District Council has been debating changes to its bylaws - especially on pets and alcohol - and is now calling for public feedback.
One of the biggest changes is a proposal to ban alcohol from the district's beaches all year round; the other is a proposal to limit the number of moggies in a household.
If the bylaws are passed in their present form, people wanting more than two cats would need special permission from the council.
Previous public submissions had called on the council to bring in cat curfews to protect native birds; others had called for cats to be registered in the same way as dogs.
But many councillors at this week's meeting felt that was going too far.
Robin Lieffering said the council was merely responding to complaints from the public, and the idea of limiting cat numbers was the least restrictive bylaw possible.
"We're not out there monitoring cats, bees or pigs. Let the public decide whether they like these changes or not," she said.
Curiously, the proposal contained a typographical error - it was originally intended to limit the number of cats a household, without special permission, to three.
Compliance manager Nicholas Fowler said he would be putting in a submission that the number be raised from two to three to correct the slip-up.
Council bylaws and the Dog Act already limit the number of dogs, aged 3 months or older and kept on a property longer than 72 hours, to two.
Anyone registering three or more dogs on one property has to get a paid permit as well as a written agreement from immediate neighbours.
The new bylaws make it clear that beaches are permitted exercise areas for dogs, as are parks and reserves in many areas.
In designated exercise areas, owners are allowed to let their dogs off the leash but have to maintain control at all times.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
