The Cat Act WA

Current Law vs Proposed Amendment

What the Cat Act requires in Western Australia (baseline obligations):

Microchipping is required (with limited exemptions). [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Sterilisation is required (with limited exemptions). [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Registration with the local council applies. [ Cat Act 2011 + Cat Regulations 2012 ]
Owner details must be kept up to date in practice (registration + microchip records). [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Councils can introduce additional cat rules through local laws within their lawful scope. [ Cat Local Law Guideline ]

This briefing note compares the Cat Act 2011 (currently in force) with the Cat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill 2026 (proposed).

It is written for people who are trying to understand: council powers, containment, fines, impounding, and what could change if the amendment passes.

Cat Act 2011

Current law (in force). [ WA Legislation ]

Cat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill 2026

Proposed legislation under parliamentary consideration (Bill No. 53). [ WA Parliament ]

Current Law

Councils can make local laws for cat management matters permitted by the Act. [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Practical guidance for how “Cat Local Laws” work (scope + process). [ Guideline ]
No statewide containment requirement in the Act. [ Cat Act 2011 ]

Proposed Amendment

Would amend the Cat Act 2011 (Bill No. 53). [ Bill page ]
Parliamentary debate context (introduction + second reading speech). [ Hansard ]
Containment details would still be defined by each council’s local law text (council-by-council). [ Guideline ]

Current Law

The Uniform Local Provisions operate “as if local laws” and can support rules about cat numbers at premises. [ Uniform Provisions 2013 ]
Councils may have approval pathways to keep additional cats (local decision rules apply). [ Uniform Provisions 2013 ]

Proposed Amendment

Bill status and materials (what is proposed and where it sits in Parliament). [ Bill page ]
If containment is implemented through local law, “how many cats” and “where cats can go” can interact in practice (council-by-council).

Current Law

Some offences carry maximum court penalties up to $5,000 (depends on offence). [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Infringement notices (“modified penalties”) are set in the regulations. [ Cat Regulations 2012 ]
Court penalties and infringements are different systems (in practice: “prosecution” vs “infringement”). [ Cat Act 2011 ]

Proposed Amendment

Check current Bill materials for any changes to enforcement / penalty framework. [ Bill page ]
If councils introduce containment local laws, enforcement is typically via local law mechanisms (and local infringement systems, where applicable). [ Guideline ]

What’s this I hear about a $5,000 fine or something?

The $5,000 figure is an existing maximum court penalty in the current Act for certain offences. It is not automatically issued as an infringement. [ Act + Regs ]

Current Law

The Act sets authorised person powers (including ID requests and related processes). [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Entry/warrant pathways depend on circumstances (consent vs formal powers). [ Cat Act 2011 ]

Proposed Amendment

Check Bill materials for any changes to investigation powers. [ Bill page ]
Containment local laws (if adopted) can create additional “trigger contexts” for enforcement (council-by-council).

Current Law

The Act sets when a cat may be seized/impounded and how notices/holding/reclaim work. [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Owners can be liable for reasonable impounding-related costs. [ Cat Act 2011 ]

Proposed Amendment

Check Bill materials for any changes to the base impounding framework. [ Bill page ]
If containment local laws expand, councils may use impounding more often in practice (implementation-dependent).

Current Law

The Act sets holding periods, reclaim steps, and what happens if a cat is not reclaimed. [ Cat Act 2011 ]
After required processes/timeframes, the Act provides for transfer in some circumstances and humane destruction in some circumstances. [ Cat Act 2011 ]

Proposed Amendment

Check Bill materials for any changes to post-impound outcome rules. [ Bill page ]
Containment local laws (if adopted) may affect how often impounding is used (implementation-dependent).

Current Law

No statewide containment requirement in the Cat Act 2011. [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Councils can create “containment-like” effects via local laws (designated areas / prohibited places / nuisance settings), depending on local law text. [ Guideline ]

Proposed Amendment

Bill page / status (what is being proposed). [ Bill page ]
Parliamentary debate context. [ Hansard ]
If passed, councils would still implement containment through their local law text (meaning rules can vary by council/area). [ Guideline ]

Current Law

Baseline duties include registration, microchipping, sterilisation (with exemptions) and keeping details up to date. [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Regulations set practical details (registration periods/fees, standards, infringement settings). [ Cat Regulations 2012 ]

Proposed Amendment

Check Bill materials for any changes to core obligations framework. [ Bill page ]

Current Law

Transfer restrictions can apply if a cat is not microchipped or not sterilised, subject to exemptions/permitted pathways. [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Post-transfer notification duties apply (council + microchip database processes). [ Cat Act 2011 ]

Proposed Amendment

Check Bill materials for any changes to transfer restrictions. [ Bill page ]

Current Law

The Act provides objection/review pathways for certain decisions (depends on decision type). [ Cat Act 2011 ]
Uniform Provisions can also include review rights for some decisions (depends on decision). [ Uniform Provisions 2013 ]

Proposed Amendment

Check Bill materials for any changes to review pathways. [ Bill page ]

What is in force

WA Legislation consolidation is the reference for what is currently in force. [ WA Legislation ]

What is being proposed

Bill page shows the current stage in Parliament (Bill No. 53). [ WA Parliament ]
Hansard provides the parliamentary debate record. [ Hansard ]

IN PRACTICE

If nothing changes

Use WA Legislation as the reference for “what is in force”. [ Act ]
Check your council’s published local laws / animal management pages (district-specific rules).
Understand infringement vs court penalty exposure. [ Regs ]

If the amendment passes

Check whether your council has adopted containment local laws and how “containment” is defined there (council-by-council).
Track the Bill’s progression status. [ Bill page ]
Read debate context where needed. [ Hansard ]

Want to know when your council brings rebates, penalties or rules?

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FAQ

What’s this I hear about a $5,000 fine or something?

The $5,000 figure is a current maximum court penalty for certain offences (not new). Infringements are separate and usually lower. [ Act + Regs ]

Can my council force cat containment in my neighbourhood?

Councils can make cat local laws within their lawful scope. The Bill proposes amendments to the Act, and containment rules (if implemented) would still be set out in your council’s local law text. [ Guideline + Bill ]

Will rules vary from council to council?

If containment is implemented through local law, variation between councils (and sometimes designated areas) is inherent to that mechanism. [ Guideline ]

Can my cat be impounded? What triggers that?

The Act includes seizure and impounding powers in defined circumstances. Triggers depend on the alleged situation and any relevant local laws. [ Cat Act 2011 ]

Could my cat be euthanised if impounded?

The Act includes circumstances where humane destruction may occur after required processes/timeframes. If this is your main concern, check the holding/notice provisions in the current Act text and the local facility process. [ Cat Act 2011 ]

Are there rebates for cat containment?

Rebates (if they exist) are usually published as council or program settings rather than a general entitlement inside the Act. Treat council websites and official program pages as the reference.

REFERENCES

Cat Act 2011 (WA) — official consolidation. [ WA Legislation ]
Cat Regulations 2012 (WA) — registration, fees, modified penalties, microchip standards. [ WA Legislation ]
Cat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013 (WA). [ WA Legislation ]
Cat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill 2026 (Bill No. 53) — Bill page / status. [ WA Parliament ]
Hansard (25 Feb 2026) — debate record (introduction + second reading speech). [ WA Parliament ]
Cat Local Law Guideline (WA Government) — local law scope and process. [ WA Government ]
Council local laws / animal management pages — district-specific rules and updates.

Practical reading (disclaimer): This page is a structured explainer. Where the amendment operates through local laws, the operative detail becomes the text of your council’s local law (and any designated areas) once made. For “what is currently in force”, the WA Legislation consolidated text is the reference.