A large number of people across the world are fans of the feline family.
For them, even the idea of having a law which limits the number of cats they can keep is absurd.
Turns out, this has happened for real in a South Australian region.
If you happen to be a ‘cat person,’ it is highly recommended you stay out of Mount Barker because the lawmakers there have voted for strict cat control legislation.
Located at a 30-minute drive southeast of Adelaide, the city of Mount Barker has recently passed a law that limits the number of cats someone can own to just two.
The city council has also introduced a ‘feline curfew,’ which requires all the cats to be restricted to their owner’s property from 8 pm to 7 am.
In addition, the law also lays down penalties for cat owners if their cats are found endangering the local wildlife or defecating or urinating on any property other than that of their master.
From the stance of the ruling council, it is clear that cat owners need to be very careful about their cats or they’ll have to face serious consequences.
According to Jamie Tann, the health and safety manager for Mount Barker, the council passed the law with overwhelming support from the local population.
Speaking to The Messenger, Tann said: “A lot of people have mentioned they want [the] council to play a role in cat management. We’re allowing cats to roam for part of the day, but at night when they’re most active and have the most impact on wildlife, we’re expecting them to be kept inside.
“The safest place for a cat to be is at home – that’s the message we’re trying to get across.”
The law has no provision for cat inspectors to look out for any violating cats in the night but the testimony of the neighbors will be taken seriously to press charges.
Tann added: “If someone says my neighbor’s cat is repeatedly coming into my yard, we’ll have covert cameras that we can set up in the yard and we could use that as evidence to say your cat is causing a nuisance.”
If the set of rules for cats imposed by Mount Barker seem too much to you, this might come as a surprise that Mount Barker is not the only place to have such rules.
The government of West Australia was already looking for legislative measures to ban cats from leaving the owner’s property altogether.
President of WARA, Dene Lawrence, told in a statement to Perth Now: “Greater enforcement powers to authorized officers and further amendments to dog barking offenses are also required.”
According to a report by Daily Mail, more than 25 people are taken to hospitals in animal bite-related incidents every week in Perth.
In 2013, Perth’s legislative body increased the fine to $10,000 for the owner if their pet dog bites a person along with up to one year in prison.
But this penalty has been found insufficient and there are plans to increase it even more.
Replaced!