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AUGUST 2015 DOGGIERESCUE.COM MAGAZINE 53

Unfortunately the number of cats being surrendered to pounds appears to be rising not decreasing.

As a cat owner what can I do to help?

From easily obtained Australian sources* we can draw some points to Do you know where
highlight where every pet owner can easily take action to help reduce your local council
the horrendous number of deaths in pounds and shelters each year. sends its “strays”?
The big pounds in
1. Ensure your kitty is micro-chipped and registered – western and south
there is a very small percentage, 5%, of cats traced and returned to western Sydney take
their owners from pounds and shelters. While it’s now “the law” to register animals from
your kitten once over 6 months – why not get it done early? Make sure that councils all over the
your pet is identified so that if it becomes lost you can easily be reunited. Sydney metropolitan
Don’t forget to update details when you move or if your pet changes owners. area.

2. Desex, desex, desex – many cats at pounds have not been Only if your kitty is
desexed, and many kittens are surrendered too. Desexing your kitty is chipped and
directly your part to play to minimise the total number of cats in Australia, registered will any-
and decrease the significant number that become “unwanted” and one be easily able to
destroyed each year. trace your lost pet
back to you.
3. Adopt a kitty that is suitable to your family - don’t pick
because of cuteness, age, breed, or gender, the most important aspects
to match include:

• personalities (yours and theirs)
• activity levels (yours and theirs) and
• space requirements (matching the cat’s needs to your home).

This avoids surrendering or abandoning a pet when it hasn’t “fitted in”.

“Each year an unacceptably Be a Responsible Pet Owner (RPO) - tick-off the
high number of dogs and cats above three points, and also consider:
are euthanased in NSW pounds
and shelters. • Training and coaching your cat not to hunt and
consider outside cat enclosures (with an internet
“Of animals that enter these search there are all sorts of options). Reduce cats
facilities, some 60 per cent of considered a nuisance which may be seized.
cats and 30 per cent of dogs
never leave alive. • Keep your cat inside at night for its safety and the
safety of other animals. Some cats are lost or may
“Last year 50,000 dogs and cats stray and find themselves in pounds
were euthanased in NSW. These
numbers are distressing ...” • Keep your cat healthy – physically, mentally and
emotionally. Ensure your loved pet sees a vet when
3 Feb 2014 Don Page, Local needed. Some cats are surrendered due to ailing
Government Minister health or poor behaviour due to anxiety.

• Keep your cat – life-time commitment means exactly
that—all the way through its old age! Sadly, some cats
are surrendered due to age.