Cats in the community
The Good Neighbour Project
Cats have been companions to people for some 10,000 years, supporting the development of human settlement and agriculture through their effective protection of grain stores from rodents.
The unique bond between human and feline continues to evolve, and now for many of us the humble moggy is a buffer against the stress and strain of modern life, providing companionship, relaxation and purposeful caring.
Pets are a vital part of our human ecology but pet ownership requires consideration of other ecologies.
The Good Neighbour Project is designed to support cat owners to provide the best feline welfare and wellbeing outcomes for their cats at the same time as minimising the impact of cat ownership on the local community.
Resources for cat owners are available on our Cat Protection website here and include:
- Choosing the right kitten or cat
- Happy, healthy indoor cats
- Reducing wandering
- Introducing curfews
- Balcony safety
- Harness and lead training
- Cat-proof fencing and enclosures
- Pet agreement for strata and rental
- Early-age desexing – health and welfare benefits
Click on the links below to view videos on Good Neighbour topics. Please note all these videos feature an Auslan interpreter.
- Behaviour and environmental enrichment – Toileting
- Behaviour and environmental enrichment – Scratching
- Behaviour and environmental enrichment for indoor cats
- Veterinary issues – Diet
- Veterinary issues – General feline health and care
- Veterinary Issues – Early-age desexing
- Wildlife matters – Part 1
- Wildlife matters – Part 2
If you would like to support The Good Neighbour Project in your local community, please feel free to download and use these resources. Click here for DIY community awareness ideas and here for more useful contacts.
For information in community languages, including videos and vets where languages other than English are spoken, click here https://catprotection.org.au/community-languages/
For information on containing cats and the benefits of creating safe outdoor areas for cats to enjoy, click here to watch a wonderful series of videos from Catnets and hear from responsible cat owners about letting their pets Safely explore the outdoors and Protecting cats and wildlife.
If you would like Cat Protection to speak at a local event you are organising, please phone us on (02) 9519 7201 or email us info@catprotection.org.au and we will do our best to assist.
Cat welfare survey
Commissioned by the Cat Protection Society of NSW, Ipsos has conducted annual surveys on cat welfare in NSW since 2017. In particular, the surveys have sought to identify rates of desexing, vaccination and registration of pet cats, as well as to understand the barriers to desexing and knowledge of early-age desexing.
The 2019 report which can be downloaded here also references findings from earlier surveys. The report for 2018 can be downloaded here and the 2017 survey here.
Ipsos is the third largest market research company in the world, present in 90 markets and offering insights and analysis across a range of areas including marketing, public opinion, social policy, advertising and media.
www.ipsos.com.au