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We love our pets in Australia, and Canterbury-Bankstown is no exception – most of us love and treat our pets like members of the family! There are, however, a small number of people who do not care for their animals responsibly, and these animals often become a problem for the community.

The Companion Animals Act, which first came into effect in September 1998, is designed to benefit pets, their owners and the wider community.

Under the Act, you have responsibilities if you want to have a pet in your home. These include a permanent identification and lifetime registration system, which greatly assists authorities in returning lost and injured animals to their owners. 

Under the Act, cats are considered to have no boundaries and are free to roam. Due to this, councils are only able to seize stray cats if they are in a public place prohibited under the Act (i.e food preparation/consumption area or wildlife protection area), or it is necessary for the protection of a person or animal from injury or death. 
 
In circumstances where the health and welfare of an animal is the issue, the most appropriate authority to contact is the RSPCA.

You can click here to read the Comp​anion Animals Act in full. ​