Cat care
Cats are usually easy to look after. Make sure your cat does not stay out at night.
Registration with Council
By law, you must register a cat over three months old with Council.
Microchipping
Microchipping is putting a small computer chip with a unique number under the skin of your cat. The microchip tells Council who the cat's owner is.
How many cats can I keep?
You can keep two cats in a house or one cat in a unit. If you want to keep more cats, apply for a Multiple Pet Permit from Council.
General tips on caring for a cat
- desex your cat if you are not using it for breeding
- arrange vaccinations for feline flu and feline AIDS through your vet
- control worms, fleas and ticks
- give your cat a cosy and dry sleeping area inside
- brush its coat once a week
- feed your cat nutritious cat food and make sure it always has cool clean water, and
- organise someone to care for your cat when you go away on holiday - you can use a registered kennel or cattery.
Keep your cat inside at night
It is dangerous for your cat and the environment to let your cat roam at night.
Between dusk and dawn your cat may:
- attack wildlife such as birds
- damage the environment
- get hit by traffic
- be injured or injure another cat in a fight
- transmit diseases such as feline AIDS as a result of fighting, and
- spray, howl and annoy neighbours, especially during mating season.
Stop your cat from roaming at night
If your cat normally roams at night, try to change its behaviour.
- skip your cat’s breakfast. Call it in at the end of the day and feed it.
- lock your cat inside in a dry, well-aired space, for example a laundry with a bed, water and kitty litter tray.
Who's for cats campaign
There is a serious cat overpopulation problem in Victoria.
One factor contributing to this problem is people feeding unowned cats but not taking full ownership or responsibility for them (eg they don’t desex or identify them, or keep them on their property).
Feeding unowned cats helps regenerate cat colonies by keeping cats alive and strong enough to reproduce.
Who's for cats campaign aims to educate the community about the consequences of feeding unowned cats, and the impact it is having on the cat overpopulation problem. For more information, click Who's for cats.
