Cats
Feral cats kill nearly 2 billion reptiles, birds, frogs and mammals each year, and over a billion invertebrates. Pet cats kill an additional 390 million mammals, birds and reptiles annually. This death is caused not only by hunting, but by the spread of disease and parasites.
Ararat municipality is home to many feral, roaming and semi-owned cats. 92 cats were processed by council between 2024 and 2025 financial year, and only 27% of these cats were either returned to their owners, adopted, or rehoused with a rescue organisation.
The Victorian State Government has recently released its first Cat Management Strategy (2026) with the goals of improving the quality of life for domestic cats, as well as safeguarding biodiversity from this significant threat.
More information about cat management is provided by SafeCat, and requirements for pet ownership within the municipality can be found on Council's website.
Keep your cat enclosed either inside or build a cat enclosure.
Desex your cat by four months. Desexed cats live generally longer lives and have fewer behavioural and reproductive health challenges.
Report local roaming or feral cats, and do not feed them. Cats can breed numerous times a year from a very young age, and as such, even small populations can explode in numbers if resources are provided. In addition, enticing cats to a location can increase the chance of disease spread and injury caused by altercations between cats.