City of Port Lincoln currently do not charge a cat registration fee but your cat must be registered in Dogs and Cats Online.

A renewal notice will be sent to the registered cat owner in July via their nominated method (email, sms or post). The owner will need to renew the registration and update any details that have changed.

You will not be issued a tag for your cat.

If you move, you’ll need to update your address. If your cat dies, is missing for more than 72 hours, is given to a new owner, or is surrendered to the RSPCA or Animal Welfare League, update your cat’s record in Dogs and Cats Online or email the Council (plcc@plcc.sa.gov.au) of the changes or complete this form and email, post or hand deliver to the Council office.

If your cat goes to a new home, their registration must be transferred to the new owner. You’ll need to advise Council of the new owner preferably with a phone number/email and address.

To learn more about being a responsible cat owner visit: https://dogandcatboard.com.au/cats/owning-a-cat

Mandatory desexing

All cats (and dogs) born after 1 July 2018 must be desexed by a registered veterinary surgeon before it is 6 months of age; or within 28 days after an owner takes possession of a kitten or puppy. Some exemptions can apply, visit the Dog and Cat Management Board website for details.

Desexed cat benefits:

• Generally live healthier and longer lives
• Reduces the risk of cancer and reproductive organ diseases
• No suffering and exhaustion from breeding
• Less likely to wander, fight, get injured or lost
• Territorial behaviour such as spraying indoors is reduced
• Reduced anti-social behaviours
• Generally, they become more affectionate and better human companions
• Female “heat” cycles are eliminated

Mandatory microchipping

All cats (and dogs) must be microchipped by 12 weeks of age (unless exempted by a vet—see the Dog and Cat Management Board for further details).

It is the cat’s owner’s responsibility to ensure their details and the microchip number is recorded and kept up to date in www.dogsandcatsonline.com.au. If you’re having trouble registering your cat online, please bring your cats microchipping and desexing paperwork, your ID and any concession cards into the office and we will happily register your cat for you on your behalf. If you do not have the ability to come into the office, please email the details to plcc@plcc.sa.gov.au and provide your contact phone number and we will call you to register the cat over the phone.

Microchipped cats carry a permanent identification and therefore if they go missing, they can be reunited with their families a lot sooner.

If an unwelcome cat enters your property, we encourage you to approach its owner (if you can identify them) in a friendly manner to explain the impact their cat is having on you. If you treat the issue as a shared problem and work on a solution together, you’re likely to achieve a good result.

There are some ways to deter cats from entering your property that you could try:

• Sprinkling cayenne pepper, mustard, vinegar, eucalyptus or citronella oil in areas you don’t want cats
• Smearing petroleum jelly on posts and on the top of fences so they cant get a grip.
• watering your garden before dark – cats do not like wet and muddy paws
• placing a cover over sandpits when not in use – particularly at night
• spraying over the counter cat deterrent sprays in areas they frequent

Do not use ammonia-based cleaners to clean up cat urine as they will only encourage cats to urinate in the area more. Clean with a solution of bicarbonate soda dissolved in water, followed with a rinse of white vinegar.

Some more information can be found here by the Dog and Cat Management Board.

If none of the above has helped, please send a detailed email with as much information as possible and contact details for you to plcc@plcc.sa.gov.au.

There are laws which regulate breeding and selling dogs and cats in South Australia. The most significant are set out below:

• Breeders and sellers must adhere to the Standards for breeding.
• Breeders intending to sell dogs or cats they have bred must register in Dogs and Cats Online.
• A dog or cat can’t be sold without a microchip.
• Dogs and cats must be desexed by six months of age.
• Any advertisement selling a dog or cat must include the seller and breeders’ contact details and breeder registration number.
• Sellers/breeders must provide specific information to purchasers, eg. seller and breeders’ details; breeders’ Dogs and Cats Online number; vaccination details; desexing details; microchip details; known illnesses or medical conditions; control order information (dogs)

Visit the Dog and Cat Management Board website for further information.

It is illegal to seize or detain an identified cat (wearing a collar with the owner’s contact details or microchipped). 

However, if you have an unidentified nuisance cat on your property, you can capture it and take it to the RSPCA, or a willing veterinarian who will make a decision on whether the cat should be rehomed or euthanised humanely (please note there may be a fee for this service).

If you trap a cat, you must do this humanely. Cats must not be kept in cages in inclement weather conditions, for any period of time without water and shelter. You can’t keep a cat contained longer than 12 hours, this constitutes an act of animal cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act 1985.

For more information about animal cruelty and the law, click here.