stenik

Just curious.........what kind of "creatures" does your cat take home, compared to living in UK? Mine is a real wee huntress and I dread to think what she will offer us when we get to Perth......spiders and stuff!!

Nikki x

Bermudashorts

I keep mine in now since the tick paralysis incident. But one of them did catch a small lizard once.

thewoodz

We keep ours in too - don't seem to get many spiders etc in the house anymore, mind you we have a couple of Lorikeets who seem to relish teasing them through the lounge window every night

Seriously you don"t see as many cats roaming the streets as in the UK, some Aussies don"t like them because of their threat to the wild life.

Cheetah7

Can I ask, did your other cat ever turn up, I remember you said it went missing

Bermudashorts

No he never came home.

We have told ourselves that he has found a new family to live with and is very happy. I still wonder most nights if he will be sat on the doorstep when I get home.

Cheetah7

Well at least your other cat is safe in his home now, thats the main thing. Gordon sits by the fly screen all day and watches the birds, then he eats, then he plays with the dog, then he eats our towels, carries his toys around and he sleeps, its a hard life for him.

ub40fan

Mine is about 18 months old, she will bring in lizards, and if we dont take them off her in time she will bite of their tails.

She also brings in cockroaches to play with - which freaks me out no end. They are the worst things in the world and the only thing in oz that i just cannot get used to.

She has brought in one mouse and two birds so far. Keeping her in is a nightmare as she likes to go out and play with the 2 cats across the road.

She can open the laundry door on her own unless it is locked, and is a very quick escape artist.

The last cat we had tried to play with a skink that was down the side of the house, it was bigger than he was at the time, my OH safely removed it to the local bush.

Dorothy

Our cat stays in the house. I don't think it's necessary for domestic cats to go outside and kill wildlife.

Cheetah7

I saw a cat down the road with one of those green parrots (28's?) ripped apart between his paws. The owner refused to keep it in and last year the cat met its fate when it got on the wrong side of a car and was killed.

I also know someone that lets their cat kill bobtail lizards, I would laugh my head off if a dugite got his cat - after all, it would be 'nature' wouldnt it?

LittleKittyCat

We keep ours in, although we got them from a local pound when they were kittens so staying in is all they have known. In fact we left our beloved cat in the UK with my mother in law (who always doted on her anyway), because we didn't feel it would be fair to bring her over and keep her in.

We have an area of garden that we don't really use, down one side of the house, so we have been considering getting a run put down there for our two. We back on to bush, and get things like echidnas and water dragons in the garden, so I don't want to let them out. I don't want them to hunt the local wildlife. We have lots of lorikeets, cockatoos, rosellas etc that come to the garden too. The cockatoos tap on the kitchen window which drives the cats mad!

Dorothy

You can bet the first thing the owners would do would scream about the cat-eating snakes! Well, what about the parrot eating cats?

Cheetah7

Yes our carnabys cockatoos wind up my kelpie, they are playful around him and swoop him sometimes in the garden and he is scared of them, they sit on the roof as well and tease him. These birds have got used to me standing in the garden and I get so excited when they fly over that they get used to the attention and sit on the roof sometimes.

Rocky is so frightened of them he goes into his kennel when the big black cockies come and visit, he is also scared of the Indian doves that used to steal his puppy meal from his bowl when he was young.

Poor little kelpie, scared of everything.

moneypenny20

Mine's an indoor cat, another that came from the AWL as a kitten. Every now and then she sees a leaf move on the verandah and slips out but is happy enough to be caught and brought back in. We do carry her out to say hi to the possums every now and then and she does love talking to all the birds.

koalakim

In some areas cats aren't allowed off your property, it's like that down on the Mornington Peninsula in VIC.

They get a $100 fine if found off your land so you have to make sure if they go out and escape then they have cash or credit card with them to pay the fine

They say it's because they want your cat to be kept safe....they say they will eat the local wildlife but some councils I think just don't like cats!

It's a shame as I miss seeing kitties out and about, especially as I don't have one at the moment and want a cat fix every now and again!

Bix

Cairns is one of those places.....see attached.

They are also tightening up farther.....

$200 fines under Cairns cat rego laws
Roger Dickson
Thursday, December 16, 2010
© The Cairns Post
CAIRNS cat owners will receive a $200 fine if they fail to register their pets.
Under new laws passed by Cairns Regional Council yesterday, owners of cats that have not been desexed will have to pay $35-a-year registration.
Desexed cat registration will be free until mid-year, but pets must still be registered with a veterinarians notice verifying they have been desexed.
All cats, whole or desexed, must technically be registered by Monday but owners will be given until early March to comply or face the hefty fine. The $200 fine is based on State Government guidelines.
The council will consider what fee for de-sexed cats will apply in upcoming Budget discussions but it is understood a sliding fee similar for de-sexed dogs will apply. Both cats and dogs under 12 weeks old, cats and dogs to be sold or given away, and already adult dogs deemed dangerous must also be micro-chipped.
Cats will be required to wear a collar with a tag similar to those already worn by registered dogs.
The RSPCA, which has put down 385 cats and kittens this year, applauded the council’s move which brings it into line with many other local governments in Queensland.
"I think it’s fantastic," Stratford shelter boss Yoni Rankin said.
"I know it has worked very successfully in getting owners to get their cats desexed in other councils."
Brinsmead veterinary surgeon Max Fargher said microchipping would greatly improve the chances of lost or stolen cats being reunited with their owners.
"From my perspective this will also help reduce the stray and euthanasia problem," he said.
However, Dr Fargher was against the legislated use of tags, saying cats were renowned for their intolerance of collars.