SPCA applauds new initiative in country’s cat crisis

The Bill, launched on Monday at SPCA Centre in Wellington by National MP Barbara Kuriger and Green MP Celia Wade-Brown, is said to have cross-party support and aims to make microchipping companion cats mandatory.

The Bill requires all owners to microchip their companion cat and register the microchip on a national database. Registered microchips help reunite lost cats with their families. SPCA sees so many happy reunions between people and their cats that have been lost, sometimes for years, because the cat was microchipped, registered, and contact details kept up to date. SPCA believes companion cats deserve the chance to make it home if they become lost, and microchipping helps ensure this happens.

For more than a decade SPCA has worked with others through the National Cat Management Strategy Group to advance humane cat management in New Zealand.

SPCA Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Arnja Dale, says the Bill represents a groundbreaking step forward in advancing cat management through responsible cat ownership to protect cat welfare, protect native wildlife, and reduce nuisances in our communities.

“We are excited to see this Bill requiring microchipping and microchip registration, but it is only a start. We cannot fully protect cat welfare and address the problems of cat overpopulation through microchipping alone. SPCA is determined to see mandatory desexing of cats be included in this Bill, and we will advocate for it at every opportunity.”

Currently, companion cats are microchipped and registered if an owner chooses to do so or is required by local council bylaws. SPCA applauds local councils for their leadership on this issue, however relying on voluntary microchipping and registration or local councils’ efforts has left a patchwork quilt of local bylaws. These efforts do not fully meet the need for consistent, responsible cat ownership across Aotearoa.

“It’s not yet clear how this bill, if passed, will interact with other legislation that protects animals such as Animal Welfare Act and Biosecurity Act,” says Dr Dale.

The next steps will be to support the Bill as it works through parliamentary processes and advocate for the types of changes SPCA wants to see in the Bill to help ensure cat welfare remains a top priority. SPCA wants to see all cats on laps and for them all to be responsibly owned.