By Laura Wakely
BRIMBANK City Council will review its cat trapping program this year after complaints from animal welfare advocates.
Pet Neighbourhood Watch submitted a petition with 687 signatures to council in December calling for stricter governance on responsible pet ownership and animal welfare, including a request to abolish “ineffective” cat trapping.
Previously residents have reported groups of around 20 feral cats roaming around shopping strips (Feral cat furore, Star, 11 October 2011).
Advocates had called on the Administrators to review the animal management team “from the ground up”.
In 2011 city compliance responded to 526 cat nuisance reports and animal management officers responded to 1154 requests for cats, often collecting more than one in the same call.
But at last week’s council meeting Executive Manager of Regulations and Compliance Josie Scarfo said only cat trapping services would be reviewed.
Ms Scarfo said animal management services had already been reviewed in 2010 and were on par with other municipalities of a similar size and population to Brimbank.
Pet Neighbourhood Watch spokesperson Liliana Iuri said she was “very disappointed” with the council’s response to the petition, which she said hundreds of people were interested in.
“All they have done is a token gesture,” Ms Iuri said.
“What they have done is highlighted what they do, but not what they need to change.
“Animal welfare is not an issue for Brimbank Council, it has never been and I don’t think it will ever be.”
But she said the council’s cat trapping program needed to be fixed.
Ms Iuri said people requesting cat trapping had to contact council who send them a brochure and guidelines.
The resident must notify all neighbours and confirm with council that they are following the guidelines before being placed on a waiting list for a cat trap.
Ms Iuri said the process could take more than a month.
Ms Scarfo said the review of the cat trapping program was underway and is expected to be completed in July.
