The Dog and Cat Management Board, RSPCA South Australia and Animal Welfare League of South Australia have joined forces to encourage pet owners to take practical steps to ensure their cats are safe. 

A new video has been produced giving owners practical examples of how to keep their pet cats happy and safe at home. 

RSPCA SA Chief Executive Officer Paul Stevenson says that cats that wander are vulnerable and that there are many risks to cats on the street. 

“House cats lead longer, healthier lives than cats allowed to roam, which are prone to injuries, illness or early death from fights, disease and road accidents,” he says. 

Animal Welfare League Chief Executive Officer Dr Julie Bellamy says keeping a cat within your property reduces the possibility of them being exposed to infectious diseases such as FIV, Feline Panleukopaenia, Feline Calicivirus, Feline Herpesvirus and Ringworm. 

“Most cats adjust well to staying home whether that’s indoors or within your garden. The key is to make their indoor lives as enriching and intriguing as the outdoors,” she says.

“This new video includes simple and easy tips you can implement to keep your cat happy at home.”

Each year, the RSPCA and Animal Welfare League receives an average combined total of around 9700 cats, the vast majority of them abandoned, stray or lost. 

“Of the 1425 animals brought into RSPCA care via our rescue team last year, more than half were cats and kittens,” Paul Stevenson says. 

Dog and Cat Management Board Chairperson David Parkin says that in South Australia, it is mandatory for pet cats to be desexed, microchipped and registered in Dogs and Cats Online. 

“Dogs and Cats Online is the state’s official dog and cat register, and is the first port of call councils, vets, and shelters use to help reunite lost pets with their families,” he says.

“While some council’s charge cat registration fees, and most don’t, if you own a cat, it is mandatory to register it by its microchip in Dogs and Cats Online and this provides peace of mind that if your cat does become lost, it can be reunited with you.” 

Registration is quick and easy for owners to do themselves on the website. 

To view the new video for tips to keep your cat at home, visit https://youtu.be/uLtiCz8ufYU