Waitaki District Council may scrap cat rules changes

Photo: ODT files

The Waitaki District Council appears ready to scrap rules limiting the number of cats pet owners are permitted.

At today's customer services committee meeting councillors will be asked to note the new draft Waitaki District General Bylaw 2017 "does not represent a significant departure'' from the draft general bylaw the council consulted on in July - but the new draft bylaw no longer limits pet owners to three pet cats per property.

When the draft bylaw was first tabled in June committee chairwoman Cr Melanie Tavendale said the council wanted "to indicate a general direction of council, that we want people to take a bit more responsibility for their animals''.

Then, last month after the council's consultation period, she called for a removal of four clauses from the draft bylaw, leaving only the council's power to address issues with owners of cats deemed to be "a nuisance, injurious or hazardous''.

Following the submissions process she believed there were "a few holes'' in the bylaw and alternative and "potentially more effective'' non-regulatory means to achieve council's goals.

At the time, the committee agreed to consider Cr Tavendale's proposal during a workshop and did not move the draft general bylaw on for approval at the next council meeting.

The council's draft general bylaw, designed to stop "various forms of nuisance'', had allowed for three companion cats per rateable property with an exemption possible if cats were desexed, vaccinated, microchipped and registered.

During the consultation the council was questioned why only owners of more than three cats would be required to microchip and register their pets.

The council was asked to include language in the bylaw that differentiated between pets, strays and feral cats and further, it was asked to consider cat-free zones in new subdivisions, or when building was done close to an ecologically sensitive area.

Some submissions called for a cat curfew, and some called for the limit to be lower than three cats.

However, Local Government New Zealand voted to adopt a policy to lobby the Government to adopt the final New Zealand National Cat Management Strategy while the council's submissions process was still under way.

The draft strategy calls for nationwide mandatory microchipping and registration of cats.
The 2006 general bylaw, which this draft bylaw will replace, is silent on cats.

hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz