An abandoned Welshpool property has become a haven for stray cats, with neighbours reporting approximately 20 cats and kittens visible in the front yard and potentially 30 more hiding out the back. The property owner does not reside there, and the dilapidated yard and veranda have turned into a breeding ground for the animals, prompting urgent calls for help.
Local resident takes initiative
Linda Watson, a self-proclaimed cat lover living a few streets away, has been feeding the cats out of her own pocket since Boxing Day. She discovered the property after one of the cats, now deceased from cat flu, led her there. “I saw a little black kitten on the corner, but he wouldn’t come to me. I went home and got food, and I came straight back and watched him run to the food and drink,” she said. “I thought if there’s one, there must be more, so I followed him to the house and there were cats coming out of the roof, cats coming everywhere. I called him Shadow. He ended up saving his brood.”
Ms Watson quickly learned the owner had abandoned the house, describing him as an “eccentric”. She expressed concern that he was hoarding cats without proper care. “I bumped into the owner and he said, ‘they’re alright, they catch the rats.’ But the rats are bigger than the kittens,” she said. The owner allowed her access to the front yard to feed the cats but refused entry to the backyard, where she believes more cats are roaming.
Community efforts and financial burden
The local community has rallied together to deliver food and water to the animals, largely led by Ms Watson, who visits at least every second day. She spends about $200 weekly on cat food and milk, with support from Petbarn in East Victoria Park and Petstock in Cannington. Local vets at SAI Veterinary Hospital in Willetton have also provided “hundreds of dollars worth” of free food.
However, as the cat population grew, neighbours reached out to RSPCA WA for assistance. “They were told it was a ‘shire matter’,” Ms Watson said. “Then the owner told me the shire gave him a letter saying he needed to give them permission to come in and trap the cats, and he said no. He wants the cats there, he said they’re rat catchers and they don’t need human intervention.”
RSPCA WA response
An RSPCA WA spokesperson confirmed with PerthNow that the organisation received an online report about the issue in March but could not contact the property owner. “(The online report was) from a member of the public concerned about the welfare of at least seven uncontained cats, i.e. straying cats, at an unoccupied property in Welshpool,” the spokesperson said. “An RSPCA WA inspector was assigned to conduct inquiries. She was unable to obtain contact details of the property owner and therefore could not confirm if the cats were owned or strays. The inspector confirmed the cats were not currently sick or injured, meaning the issue was one for the relevant local government area. The inspector advised the person who had contacted RSPCA WA on how to work with local rangers who have powers under the Cat Act.”
Suspected animal cruelty concerns fall under the Animal Welfare Act 2002, enforced by RSPCA WA inspectors, while the Cat Act 2011 addresses “stray or nuisance” cats and is enforced by local government authorities.
City of Canning involvement
City of Canning mayor Patrick Hall told PerthNow that the city received a report about the stray cats in February. “Since that time, rangers have been working collaboratively with the RSPCA to address this issue, attempting to capture stray cats in the vicinity of the property,” he said. “Section 27 of the Cat Act 2011 provides the ability for the city to impound cats found on property without consent or in restricted areas.”
Ms Watson claimed the City of Canning provided two cages for neighbours to use to catch the cats but told them their hands were tied because the owner had not allowed city staff on his property. “There’s a law in this country about cat hoarding and registering your cats,” she said. “What about enforcing the law to the owner and saying ‘we’re going to fine you for not registering your kittens’?” According to the city’s cat laws, all cats older than six months must be registered and sterilised by their owners, and residents must lodge a permit application to keep more than two cats.
Plea for help
“We’ve done all we can. It’s not about the money, it’s about keeping those kitties as well as they can be,” Ms Watson said. “I would love to get someone to help them find homes. I don’t think they deserve to be killed, they did nothing wrong.”
