New laws for cat containment and cat registration

Released 24/05/2022

The ACT Government has passed new laws to help Canberra’s cats live longer and healthier lives, while better protecting native wildlife.

From 1 July 2022 all cats will be required to be registered, with details to be updated annually. This will help reunite lost cats with their families more quickly by having up-to-date contact details. It will also help in delivering education campaigns focused on responsible pet ownership.

Cats born before 1 July 2022 can be registered for free until 1 July 2023. For cats born after 1 July 2022, owners will pay a small one-off fee which in 2022 is set at $57.55 or $20.70 for pensioners.

The ACT Government is taking an educative approach to compliance measures to allow time for the community to adjust to the new requirements.

This system for cat registration mirrors the ACT’s annual dog registration scheme, introduced in 2021.

Cat owners can now complete a short online smartform to register their pet early.

The new laws will also expand cat containment across Canberra for cats born from 1 July 2022. Containment means keeping your cat on your premises 24 hours a day. This can include your house or apartment or an enclosed area in a backyard or courtyard.

Cats born before 1 July 2022 will not be required to be contained to their premises, unless they live in one of Canberra’s 17 declared cat containment locations (Bonner, Crace, Coombs, Denman Prospect, Forde, Gungahlin Town Centre east, Jacka, Lawson, Macnamara, Molonglo, Moncrieff, Strathnairn, The Fair at Watson, Throsby, Taylor, Whitlam and Wright).

We understand that existing cats and their owners may not be prepared for, or used to, full containment. The grandfathering approach for existing pet cats will support a fair and gradual transition which supports the welfare for these animals.

New Canberra suburbs will continue to be declared as cat containment areas as they are developed. However, we have updated the rules for declared cat containment areas to allow cats to be walked on a leash in the cat containment suburbs.

Cats provide love and companionship to many Canberrans. These new laws will build on our successful dog registration model to help promote the health and wellbeing of Canberra’s cats and responsible pet ownership.

For more information on cat registration and cat containment please visit www.cityservices.act.gov.au/cats

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