Snip ‘n’ chip sought for region's cats

Microchipping pet cats will help them be identified as areas of Nelson Tasman embark on feral cat control. Photo: supplied/Department of Conservation.

By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter

It looks likely that Tasman cats will have to undergo the ‘snip ‘n’ chip’ after the measures received widespread support.

Consultation on the district’s proposed cat management bylaw will begin on Friday 26 July with residents being asked about if they supported requiring pet cats to be registered, microchipped, and desexed.

Cat Budai, community policy advisor at Tasman District Council, described the measures as “a step in the right direction”.

“It’s also something the community really supports.”

Early engagement on the bylaw saw 86 per cent of respondents support microchipping cats, while 89 per cent support desexing.

Registering cats on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register received the lowest amount of support at 68 per cent, but responses showed a lack of understanding of what registering meant.

A cat that is microchipped but not registered can only have its owner identified at the vet clinic where the cat is registered.

But if the microchip is on the National Companion Animal Register, the cat can be identified by any vet or approved agent, such as an SPCA branch.

Registration costs a one-off $15 fee which contributes to the ongoing cost of operating the register.

The bylaw would apply to all cats older than six months, with new cats having to comply once the bylaw is introduced. Existing cats would have until June 2027 to comply.

But despite the deadline, the bylaw contains no clause for enforcement and the council would rely on an educative approach to encourage compliance.

While all cats across the district would be expected to comply by June 2027, there’s no mechanism for enforcement. Photo: Kate Russell/Nelson Weekly.

Guinevere Coleman, the council’s team leader for biosecurity and biodiversity, said the bylaw has been requested by the SPCA and vets who say bylaws encourage people to be responsible cat owners.

“They’ve seen it work well around the country with other bylaws, that it’s a motivator for them to have that conversation.”

By making it easier to identify cats, the bylaw is intended to support lost cats and help to deal with troublesome or nuisance cats.

However, the Nelson and Tasman councils are on the verge of both approving the regional pest management plan which will allow for the control of feral cats at specific sites.

Microchipping domestic cats will enable the pet to be identified and returned home if it’s caught in a live-capture trap intended for feral cats.

The bylaw allows vets to exempt a cat from procedures that would be detrimental to its health and welfare.

- Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air 