Responsible cat ownership

• All cats must be registered with Council.
• If your cat is not desexed by four months of age, you'll need to pay:
  • $96 annual permit fee
  • one-off lifetime registration fee ($68 for non-desexed cats).

What you'll need to register your cat

• Completed registration form.
• Proof of microchip details.
• Proof of desexing (if applicable)
• Any documents to verify fee reductions.

How to pay fees

You can pay fees at any of our offices:

• Moruya: Customer Service Centre, corner of Campbell and Vulcan Street, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.
• Narooma: Council depot, 32 Glasshouse Rocks Road, Monday to Tuesday, 8.30am to 12pm, and 1pm to 3pm.
• Batemans Bay: Council depot, 150 Princes Highway, Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 12pm, and 1pm to 3pm.

Find out more and register your cat

How your fees help

• Fund ranger services and Council animal shelters.
• Support education and awareness programs.
• Maintain dog recreation areas.
• Support pet ownership initiatives.

Microchipping

• Your cat must be microchipped by 12 weeks of age, or before rehoming, whichever occurs first.
• Failure to microchip may result in a fine.
• Most local vets offer microchipping services.

Find out more

You are responsible for making sure your cat's microchip and registration details on the NSW Pet Registry are up to date. These details include change of ownership and address; forms are available at our offices:

• Moruya: Customer Service Centre, corner of Campbell and Vulcan Street, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.
• Narooma: Council depot, 32 Glasshouse Rocks Road, Monday to Tuesday, 8.30am to 12pm, and 1pm to 3pm.
• Batemans Bay: Council depot, 150 Princes Highway, Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 12pm, and 1pm to 3pm.

To ensure your cat's safety and wellbeing, it's important to keep it within your property boundaries. This helps reduce risks such as:

• car accidents
• dog attacks
• injuries from fights or breeding
• snake bites and ticks
• diseases like Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
• poisoning from toxic plants or substances
• harm to wildlife
• theft or abuse.

Ways to keep your cat safe

There are three main ways you can keep your cat safe at home:

1. Indoors only: Simple and cost effective.
2. Indoors with an outdoor space and escape-proof barrier:  Outdoor spaces for your cat include attached and freestanding enclosures, enclosed backyards or modified fences.
3. Indoors with supervised outdoor play: Walking your cat on a lead lets them explore outdoor sights, sounds, and smells safely, while protecting wildlife.

• Desexing is an effective way to prevent unwanted litters.
• Desexing your cat reduces many health and behavioural issues such as aggression and urine-marking.
• If your cat is not desexed by four months of age, you must pay an annual permit fee.
• After desexing, your vet will update the status on the NSW Pet Registry.

Roaming cats are a major conservation issue because they hunt and harass wildlife. Their hunting targets in Eurobodalla include birds, lizards, frogs, bandicoots, and gliders.

CatBibs stop more than 80% of cats from catching birds. They also reduce small animal predation by almost half.

How CatBibs work

• The bib prevents the cat from pouncing, giving prey a chance to escape.
• CatBibs do not interfere with any of the cat’s normal activities - they can still run, jump, and explore.
• CatBibs are lightweight, comfortable, and safe, detaching from the collar if snagged. You should always use a safety collar with a CatBib.

Get a free CatBib

Council offers free CatBibs to microchipped cats. To get yours:

• ask your vet
  or
• request one online using your cat's microchip number.

Request a free CatBib 

Cats are allowed to roam but they mustn't cause a nuisance (eg, defecating or fighting).

Speak to your neighbour first. If you can't resolve the issue, you can contact Council to make a formal complaint.

We recommend keeping your cat indoors at night. Roaming cats cause harm to wildlife and are at higher risk of injury. On average, a roaming cat kills 186 native animals every year - even for just part of the night. The only way to prevent this is to keep your cat within your property boundaries, day and night. Options like escape-proof outdoor enclosures or fenced gardens can provide them with safe access to the outdoors, while protecting wildlife.

If the noise is from mating, it should stop in a few days. If the noise continues, talk to the owner.

If you can't resolve the issue, contact our rangers.

You may need to keep a diary of the noise activity.

Keep your bird cage secure. If the problem continues, talk to the cat's owner - they're most likely not aware of the problem.

Our rangers can only seize a cat if it's reasonable and necessary to protect another animal.

If you are having issues with feral cats, contact our rangers for assistance with trapping.

You should take the trapped cat to our animal shelter as soon as possible.

Contact our rangers

Try and speak to your neighbour. If you can't resolve the issue, contact our rangers to make a formal complaint.

You may need to provide evidence of the cat attacking/killing wildlife.

Contact our rangers

Only trap a cat if it's causing a nuisance (eg, defecating or fighting).

Contact our rangers for advice before using a trap, as it can cause stress to the animal.

You should return the trapped cat to its owner - or our rangers - as soon as possible.