西澳大利亚政府正推进法律修订，拟赋予珀斯地方议会权力对猫咪实施管制措施。[1] 西澳地方政府部长Hannah Beazley在2月宣布了这一修改《2011年猫咪法》的计划，修订后的法律将允许议会限制猫咪活动范围、禁止其进入公共区域或设置夜间宵禁等措施。[1] 目前超过20个议会曾尝试制定室内饲养猫咪的法规，但仅3个成功实施了相关法规。[1]
珀斯的流浪猫问题日益突出，已成为这一立法的紧迫背景。[1] 超过20个议会表示猫咪目前被禁止进入超过300个公园、保护区等地。[1] Cat Haven首席执行官Roz Robinson指出，该收容所超过50%的猫咪来自流浪猫，而超过80%的流浪猫未进行绝育手术。[1] Cat Haven的收容数量年均增长8%，远超该地区2%的人口增长率。[1] 尽管流浪猫问题严峻，政府目前仅为Cat Haven提供不足2%的运营成本。[1]
Western Australia's Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley announced in February plans to amend the Cat Act of 2011, granting local councils authority to impose movement restrictions on cats within their jurisdictions [1]. The proposed changes would enable councils to limit where cats roam, restrict their access to public spaces, or establish nighttime curfews [1].
The regulatory landscape for cat management in the Perth region currently lacks consistency, with over 20 councils having attempted to establish indoor-only cat requirements, yet only three have succeeded in implementing such regulations, all located in regional Western Australia [1]. More than 20 Perth councils have already designated over 300 parks and protected areas where cats are prohibited [1]. The legislative amendments aim to address this fragmented approach by providing councils with clearer powers to enforce cat containment measures.
The initiative responds to growing concerns about Perth's stray cat population. Cat Haven's Chief Executive Officer Roz Robinson reported that over 50 percent of the shelter's intake comes from roaming cats [1], while more than 80 percent of strays have not been desexed [1]. The organization faces increasing demand, with annual intake growing at eight percent compared to population growth of only two percent [1]. Despite this surge, the government currently funds less than two percent of Cat Haven's operating costs [1].