Tasmanian Cat Management Project

Through collaboration and partnerships with local councils, animal welfare groups, and key stakeholders, the Tasmanian Cat Management Project (TCMP) will contribute to the initiatives set out in the Tasmanian Government’s Tasmanian Cat Management Plan 2017-2022. The TCMP focuses on engagement with the Tasmanian community to promote responsible cat ownership including desexing, microchipping, containing pet cats indoors and appropriate rehoming behaviour.

The Tasmanian Cat Management Plan 2017-2022 recognises that cats are an important part of Tasmanian society, but the role they play is a complex one. The species can be many things to different people, including much-loved pets, useful animals that control vermin, nuisance animals that annoy neighbours and invasive animals that spread disease and have an adverse impact on native wildlife and agriculture.

Recent changes to cat management legislation in Tasmania require effective communication and implementation support to be successful. Understanding the barriers to appropriate cat ownership and management, and working with multiple stakeholders to improve understanding and collaboration are crucial.

The Tasmanian Cat Management Project was established in 2018 through funding from the Tasmanian Government. Key project activities include:

• facilitate responsible cat ownership and appropriate management of stray and roaming cats in the Tasmanian community through partnerships with local government and key stakeholders;
• provide expert advice and useful resources to help owners keep their cats healthy and happy, whilst protecting wildlife and communities, through the state-wide responsible pet cat ownership initiative, TassieCat;
• attend events, community and industry discussions to educate the broader community about how to help stray or unwanted cats and promote responsible pet cat ownership; and
• provide support to land managers and community groups to minimise the impacts of cats in areas with important conservation values.