Lost cats

Darwin City Council understands that your pet is special and we are trying every way possible to have your pet reunited with you.  The following pets have been rescued from areas in Darwin. Council also maintains a lost & found register and may already have your dog recorded as found. For further details contact Darwin City Council on 8930 0600.

Another contact fro assistance with animal issues in Darwin is the RSPCA they can be contacted by callling 8984 3795.

New Darwin City Council Animal Pound

Lost and stray dogs and cats are cared for at the new Darwin City Council Animal Pound. The new DCC pound is situated adjacent to the old pound in Boulter Road, Berrimah next door to the RSPCA. At the moment there is no land line into the building so if an animal owner needs to pick up their lost or stray animal they need to visit the pound and positively I.D.their animal, they will then have to travel to the Civic Centre and pay the release fees before returning with their receipt and /or rego details to the pound to pickup their animal. This situation will only be in existence for a short while until Eftpos and telephone lines can be installed.

Animals cannot be released from the pound unless they pay the appropriate fees and the animal is registered.

Opening Hours are:

• Monday -Friday: 3.00pm to 6.00pm
• Saturdays: 10.00am - 1.00pm

Phone: 08 8947 2099

TELAF

A new website called Top End Lost and Found is targeted at the Darwin area and aims to reunite lost animals with their owners. It also aims to find homes for some homeless animals. This is a free service.http://telaf.wordpress.com

Managing cats

Cats are usually well loved members of a family. However, even a pet cat that is well fed and looked after, may still roam and hunt. Cats that roam outside their yards usually have a shorter life span – they often become lost, injured, killed or are stolen while roaming unattended in the street. Their behaviour while roaming can also be a nuisance to other people. Sometimes cats are abandoned by their owners and are left to become strays and join the feral cat population. Feral cats do not depend on people at all for their food and shelter. They roam, scavenging for food and hunting our native wildlife.
Darwin currently has a large feral cat population which poses many issues for cat owners, community members and Council.

When is a cat at large?

According to the By-Laws, a cat is at large if it is:

• not properly contained in the owners’ property / yard;
• not under effective control by the owner; or
• any part of its body is protruding from a vehicle.

Owners are required to have their cats on a lead or enclosed in a suitable
container when they are not being contained on the owner’s property.

Trapping cats at large

When a complaint is received about a cat being at large, Council will follow an established process to try to resolve the matter to everyone’s satisfaction. If the owner of the cat involved in the complaint cannot be identified, or they will not cooperate, Regulatory Offi cers will attempt to trap the cat. To do this, a cat trap is placed in the area where the cat is suspected to be. Neighbours and owners of registered cats in the surrounding area will be informed about the trap via a letter box drop.

During the 12 weeks following the letterbox drop, Council will periodically place a cat trap in a sheltered location. Regulatory Officers will check the trap at least daily for captured cats.

If a captured cat can be identified via a microchip or other means, the owner of the animal will be notified and fined. Captured cats that cannot be identified will be taken to the pound and managed according to Council’s pound procedures, which may include the cat being destroyed after a certain period of impoundment.

Enforcement

Owners of cats found at large will be fined up to $130 in accordance with
the By-Laws. (67(1))

The RSPCA's hours of operation are: 1:00pm - 5:30pm Monday to Friday and

11:00am - 4:00pm Saturday and 11:00am - 1:00pm Sunday.