The City is supporting the RSPCA Victoria's Rethink Roaming initiative urging community members in Greater Geelong to keep their cats safe by containing them to their properties.
With more than 10,500 cats registered across Greater Geelong, the Rethink Roaming campaign aims to help owners understand the dangers their pet faces and find easy ways to keep them safe and happy at home.
While cats in Greater Geelong are required to be contained to their owners' properties from dusk until dawn, we encourage owners to contain cats during daylight hours as well. There are many benefits to this, including longer and healthier lives, lower vet bills, less pressure on animal shelters like GAWS, and better protection of native wildlife.
Between 1 January and 7 May this year, we received the most complaints about cats being a nuisance/trespassing on property and requests for cat trapping cages from Corio, Grovedale, St Leonards, Norlane and Lara. The Armstrong Creek growth area is also becoming a growing area for concern as the population of cats in this area increases.
With the average cat roaming 6,570 hours and up to 300 kilometres per year, outdoor cats are at risk of being hit by cars, getting into fights or catching diseases, shortening their lifespan by up to 10 years.
RSPCA Victoria's Rethink Roaming website features an interactive mapping tool that helps owners see how far their cat is likely to roam from their address and the risks they face.
It's financially costly to have a roaming cat as owners face 400 per cent higher vet bills compared to contained cats. Fractures caused by road accidents are one of the top five reasons cats attend the vet, with an average bill of $836.
There is also more chance of roaming cats getting lost. Unfortunately, nine in 10 lost cats never reunited with their families.
As part of the campaign, RSPCA Victoria has created easy-to-use online guides to help people transition their cats to a safer, more enriching lifestyle at home at a low cost.
The charity will hold a free workshop at Bunnings North Geelong on how to build an outdoor enclosure.
Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM
It is time to rethink letting cats roam the streets.Cats are beautiful companions – they bring immense joy to our lives, improve our psychological health and reduce loneliness.
While pet owners can lawfully let their cats roam during the day, we know that containment is the best way to keep your furry friends safe and healthy.
You may believe your cat doesn't wander far, but in fact they can stray more than 300 kilometres in a year, get hit by cars, lose their way home, catch diseases and become injured in fights.
Councillor Elise Wilkinson
Helping cats adjust to containment can be challenging.The Rethink Roaming website has handy online guides to support this important transition.
Despite the short-term challenges, it's better in the long run as it eases pressure on shelters, increases animal welfare for cats and local wildlife, and ensures a longer lifespan for our feline friends.
