Parliament not ready to adopt cat containment laws in NSW

A NSW parliamentary inquiry decided not to recommend cat containment to protect wildlife and pet cats in a final report released on August 18, 2025.

While the committee found the need to implement cat management strategies to address their overpopulation, they ultimately concluded that NSW may not yet be ready to adopt mandatory cat containment laws.

This report, and the decision not to back these legal changes, has been criticised by the Invasive Species Council, NSW Nature Conservation Council, and the Biodiversity Council, who are collectively urging Premier Chris Minns to listen to the community and deliver these reforms through the current Companion Animals Act review.

This issue is likely to become an important election topic in NSW, as it is reported that there are approximately 1 million pet cats in the Greater Sydney area. The hunting habits of these cats are collectively responsible for approximately 66 million native animal deaths per year.

NSW is currently the only state where cat containment powers aren’t afforded to local councils, leaving communities without the tools to respond to both pet safety concerns and the threat domestic animals pose to local wildlife.

“Despite strong public backing for cat containment, outdated laws in NSW prevent councils from acting. This is a stark contrast to other states like Victoria which empower councils to introduce containment rules, and over half have done so. The ACT has also mandated cat containment territory-wide,” says Jack Gough, CEO of the Invasive Species Council.

“By simply removing the barriers to local councils instituting cat containment, we could save millions of native animals.”

The Nature Conservation Council NSW CEO, Jacqui Mumford says that “many of the actions required to protect our wildlife require complex legislative reforms and significant investment from the government. In contrast, by simply removing the barriers to local councils instituting cat containment, we could save millions of native animals.”

Mandatory cat containment laws could improve the welfare of pet cats, native wildlife, and reduce the spread of cat-borne diseases in the community. Containment would prevent roaming, predation, uncontrolled breeding and injuries to cats themselves from vehicle strikes and other animals. This is only the first step towards effective management, however, which would additionally require statewide education, desexing, trapping, and adequate funding for councils, welfare and rehoming organisations.

Companion Animals Act Review. Office of Local Government NSW. (n.d.). https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/companion-animals-act-review

Invasive Species Council. (2025, August 18). Call for minns to step in as parliamentary inquiry fails to back changes to protect wildlife from Roaming Pet Cats. Invasive Species Council. https://invasives.org.au/media-releases/call-for-minns-to-step-in-as-parliamentary-inquiry-fails-to-back-changes-to-protect-wildlife-from-roaming-pet-cats  

Schmidt, N. (2025, August 19). NSW parliament inquiry falls short of calling for cat containment – for now. https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/nsw-parliament-inquiry-falls-short-of-calling-for-cat-containment-for-now/news-story/bc2d05807b5b6690e86258abad313f1c