Low levels of 'responsible cat ownership' across WA councils

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-01-27 00:01

Australia; WA

Photo by Duc Van on Unsplash, Story by Lyndal Byford, Australian Science Media Centre

Local councils across WA say they have low levels of compliance with responsible cat ownership laws and that they have had limited success and considerable frustration implementing restrictions to prevent pet cats from roaming, according to Australian research. The survey of 103 out of the 139 local government areas in WA found there was poor awareness among the local community of what best practice responsible cat ownership involves, and low overall compliance with laws.

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Journal/
conference: Pacific Conservation Biology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Western Australia, Murdoch University

Funder: This research did not receive any specific funding.

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