Keeping other animals

Responsible cat guardianship

Cats are valued members of many families in New Zealand. Research shows that animal companionship can improve people’s health and wellbeing.

However, cats can have a detrimental impact on native and non-native wildlife. Cats in New Zealand have contributed to the extinction and decline in birds, lizards and invertebrates. Stray and feral cats often suffer as they become sick or injured and have no access to veterinary care. Cats can also cause nuisance in communities and spread diseases such as toxoplasmosis (to sheep, people and other species), ringworm and some parasites (e.g. hookworm that can cause skin irritation, eye-sight loss and organ disease).

We encourage people responsible for a companion cat to keep their cat safe and happy at home and to desex and microchip their cat.

Three main categories of cat are recognised nationally and by the Dunedin City Council.

• Companion cats

  Companion cats have a home and rely on people to meet their physical, health and behavioural needs. There are about 1.2 million companion cats in 35% of households across New Zealand. Most companion cats are desexed and the majority are microchipped.

• Stray cats

  Stray cats live in and around communities and depend on food and resources supplied directly and unintentionally by people. They may or may not be friendly/socialised to people and some, but not all, have an identifiable carer. Stray cats may be born stray, be lost or abandoned companion cats, or be unwanted kittens from companion cats.

• Feral cats

  Feral cats live in the wild and are self-sustaining; they don’t rely on people for their needs.

  For more information on feral cats see Department of Conservation - feral cats (new window).

• Do I have to desex and microchip my cat?

  We recommend companion cats are desexed and microchipped, with the microchip registered on a national database. This is the best option to help bring your lost cat home and reduces the number of unwanted kittens born each year.

• Why should my cat be desexed?

  Desexing helps reduce young cats being repeatedly pregnant which can affect their health. Desexing reduces litter numbers which helps reduce problems with overpopulation.

  A female cat can become pregnant as young as three months of age. On average, a cat can have 1-2 litters of kittens each year with an average number of four kittens surviving. This leads to many unwanted kittens being born each year and contributes to overpopulation of cats and kittens who are at risk of becoming sick or injured with variable access to veterinary care.

• What is microchipping?

  Microchipping is a permanent, harm-free method of identifying a cat because the chip cannot be removed, dislodged or lost without surgical intervention. A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is inserted under a cat’s skin by a veterinarian. Each microchip has a unique numerical code that can be read by an electronic scanner. The numerical code is linked to the owner’s contact information and can be accessed when the microchip is registered on a national database such as the New Zealand Companion Animal Register. It’s important that cat owners keep their contact information up to date.

  If lost, injured, or stolen, a cat with a registered microchip is more likely to be reunited with their family, meaning cats get home quickly and get access to the care they may need. This especially applies during emergencies such as earthquakes and floods. Registered microchips also help avoid a stay at a shelter as owners can be contacted immediately.

  In areas where cats are targets of pest control, or where they’re a nuisance, microchips can help identify that a cat has a home.

  Additional benefits include a microchip activated cat door that stops other cats entering your home.

  Register your cat on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register:

  • New Zealand Companion Animal Register (new window)

• Why should I keep my cat safe and happy at home?

  We recommend cats are kept safe and happy at home to help protect their welfare and to avoid neighbourhood nuisance. People may not realise their cats wander and some residents don’t want cats on their property. It’s best to get advice from an expert about how to keep your cat happy and healthy at home.

  Cats that roam away from home face numerous welfare risks through threats to their health and as a consequence of becoming lost or stray. Roaming cats are at greater risk of injury and death from vehicles and have an increased risk of fighting with cats and other animals. They can also spread infectious diseases (e.g. ringworm, hookworm and toxoplasmosis), ingest harmful substances and are more likely to prey on and kill wildlife. Cats that roam may also cause neighbourhood nuisance, such as toileting in gardens, spraying and fighting with other cats.

• What happens if a cat is picked up and doesn't have a microchip?

  Neither the DCC nor the SPCA pick up healthy adult cats that are roaming. However, cats may be picked up if they’re sick or injured, if they’re roaming in areas where they’re controlled to protect wildlife, or if a member of the public is concerned they’ve found a lost companion animal. A cat who is picked up without a registered microchip has less chance of being reunited with their owner.

• What should I do if my cat goes missing?

  If your cat goes missing, here’s some ways to bring your cat back home safely:

  • Update your details: Make sure your contact details are up to date on the microchip register. Veterinarians and the SPCA will scan incoming animals for a microchip and get in touch.
  • Check the 'found' listings or create a 'lost' listing at lostpet.co.nz This is a national database and the key website we recommend that everyone checks, as well as creating a 'lost' listing of their own.
  • Check Trade Me: Look on the Trade Me Lost and Found section to see if anyone has found and listed your cat.
  • Use social media to spread the word. There are plenty of lost and found pages on Facebook that can be used. Ask your friends to share your posts as well: this will get them seen by the maximum number of people.
  • Create a flyer: Make a flyer with a clear picture and description and your contact information. Distribute it locally via notice boards, neighbours and community centres.
  • Ask around your neighbourhood: knock on doors in your street and neighbourhood, describe or show them a photo of your missing cat. Ask them to check their garden sheds and garages or anywhere else where your cat may be hiding.
  • Call or visit vets or the SPCA or drop in to see them with a flyer – many of them have lost and found boards.
  • Use familiar sounds. Go outside at night when it's quiet and call your animal. Shaking biscuits or treats can help as well.
  • Don't give up. It's important to keep trying to look for your cat. Cats often go missing for days or even weeks before they show up again out of the blue.

  Find your missing cat:

  • SPCA (new window)
  • Lost pet website (new window)
  • Trade Me Lost and Found (new window)

• What do I do if I find a cat?

  • If you have found a kitten or a pregnant, senior, sick or injured cat, the SPCA or a veterinarian can help you with these animals.
  • If you plan to trap a cat, make sure you have a plan for where you’ll take the cat before you set the trap. Make sure you know your obligations under the Animal Welfare Act for live trapping an animal. Live traps must be checked 12 hours after sunrise each day that the trap remains set, starting immediately after the day the trap is set. You must attend to a trapped animal without delay. Make sure you set the trap where the animal will be protected from the hot or cold weather, direct sunshine or rain. You must also be aware of your obligations of trapping cats in an area where they’re controlled as a pest. Under the Biosecurity Act, there are places in Dunedin that a stray or feral cat cannot be released.
  • Talk to your neighbours to see if the cat is theirs. Most cats roam from home and many people don’t realise how far their cat can go.
  • Check for a microchip. Take the cat to a veterinarian or SPCA to have it scanned for a microchip and check the NZ Companion Animal Register.
  • Use a paper collar. Release the cat with a paper collar with a note to the owner to establish contact and alert them about their cat coming onto your property:
  • Share the cat’s information on lostpet.co.nz, TradeMe, social media pages, in local newspapers or on community noticeboards. Contact other welfare groups or rescues in case the cat was reported missing with them.
  • If the cat lingers or keeps coming back, and you can’t find its home, consider fostering or adopting them.
  • Ask welfare organisations or the SPCA if they have space for the cat. However, if the cat is not friendly with people, it will not be appropriate to bring it to a shelter as this is too stressful for the cat and they’re not good candidates for rehoming.
  • While there are no laws that prevent a person from ending the life of a stray or feral cat as long as it is humane, it is illegal to do this to someone’s companion animal (unless the animal is severely injured or sick). Before any decisions are made regarding ending an animal’s life, you must determine whether the animal is a companion animal.

  Find a stray cat paper collar on the SPCA website:

  • Stray cat paper collar (PDF, new window)

• Cats creating nuisance

  Cats will visit neighbouring properties as part of their usual movements – on average an urban cat’s regular movements will include 16 properties. A roaming cat may also be seeking food, shelter, exploring a new area, or looking for a mate.

  If you have a companion cat, it’s your responsibility to ensure they’re not making unwanted visits to your neighbour’s property. Install or modify fencing to keep your cat on your property, build a structure or modify part of your home as a cat-proof outdoor area where your cat still has the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, but remain at home.

  It can be frustrating to have unwanted visits from your neighbour’s cat. There are several ways to discourage cats from coming onto your property:

  • Talk to the person responsible for the cat, if you know who that is. People may not be aware of how far their cat roams or that their cat is causing nuisance. A friendly conversation may encourage your neighbour to keep their cat from roaming.
  • Ensure you’re not unintentionally providing a food source through unsecured rubbish bins, leaving your animal’s food outdoors, or not controlling wild rodents on your property.
  • Consider blocking off areas where a cat may seek shelter such as under a porch or deck.
  • Keep your garage or shed closed.
  • Cover sand pits when not in use.
  • Use netting around vegetable beds to reduce their ability to toilet in the area.
  • Modify an existing fence or install a fence to physically prevent the cat from visiting your garden.
  • Some products such as ultrasonic deterrents may help keep cats off your property, however, care should be taken in using these if you have your own companion animal who may be sensitive to the noise such as a cat, dog, rabbit or bird.

• Bees and Wasps

  Bees

  Keeping of bees in residential areas is an activity that needs to be carried out in an informed and careful way, to minimise the risks to people getting stung. If you wish to keep bees in residential area we recommend you view the Apiculture New Zealand for advice and assistance.

  We will respond to complaints if bees are kept in a way that they are offensive, or injurious to human health

• Roosters and Chickens

  Roosters

  We frequently receive complaints about roosters crowing. They are generally not suitable for keeping at residential zoned properties.

  Roosters are now banned at residential zone properties in Dunedin unless owners have written permission from the DCC to keep them. This change has been introduced to address complaints about roosters crowing in residential areas

  Permission to keep a rooster will be given so long as there are no concerns such as a history of valid noise complaints.

  Residential zone areas are spread throughout Dunedin city, you can check your property online using the 2GP Planning map (new window). The change does not affect rooster owners outside residential areas.

  • Keeping of Animal Bylaw 2022 (new window)
  • Apply for permission to keep a rooster (new window)
  • Apply for permission to keep a rooster (PDF, new window)

  Guidelines for locating chicken coops

  The location of chicken coops can be very important for minimising potential nuisance to neighbours. When locating a chicken coop, owners should consider how this may affect their neighbours and locate the coop in a place that is least likely to cause a nuisance. Placing it right up against neighbouring properties or near outdoor living areas has the potential to cause a nuisance, as hens can be noisy when they lay and there is a risk of chicken coops becoming smelly in the summer months.

  Chicken coops should also be located on well-drained land as standing water will promote public health risks.

  Guidelines for keeping chicken coops clean

  Keeping chicken coops clean is important for minimising potential smells and minimising health problems for both chickens and people. Chicken coops should be thoroughly cleaned out at least once a week. Nesting boxes and the floor of any chicken coop should be kept clean and dry and lined with hay, wood chips (untreated), sawdust, or shredded newspaper so that it can be easily removed when cleaned out. Chicken owners have an obligation under the Animal Welfare (Layer Hens) Code of Welfare 2012 to provide good quality litter material that is free from toxic contaminants. This lining should be removed often and cleaned out as appropriate. In addition, egg nests should not be positioned beneath elevated perches as this can lead to excrement dropping on eggs.

  Preventing vermin

  Owners should not allow excess food and chicken bedding waste to accumulate on their property. This is because it can start to smell, provide somewhere for flies to breed, mice to shelter and may attract rats looking for food. Owners should make sure the waste is regularly gathered up, bagged and disposed of appropriately.

  Scattering food across the ground can often lead to the attraction of rats and mice, and should be scattered only for the purpose of immediate consumption. Owners will get more control by using vermin proof receptacles specifically for poultry feeding, which also keep out the rain, providing chickens with good access to dry pellets or grain. Once vermin realise there is an accessible food supply, they will continue to return, leaving excrement that can contaminate chicken feed and water. Owners would also be exposing themselves and their neighbours to the diseases that rats and mice carry in their excrement.

  Owners need to ensure they do as much as possible to keep the area in and around a chicken coop clean.

  For further advice on the keeping of animals refer to the SPCA website.

• Rodents

  We are often asked for advice on the control of rodents but you may prefer to employ a professional exterminator. These are listed in the Yellow Pages under Pest Control.

  Rats and mice are a nuisance. They are known to damage food and property and are responsible for spreading disease either:

  • directly - by contaminating food and belongings with urine and droppings (eg Salmonellosis and Leptospirosis)
  • indirectly - by their fleas and mites (eg the plague and typhus)

  They are mostly nocturnal animals and are rarely seen during the day. Droppings, gnawings, burrows or tracks will alert you to their presence.

  Mice tend to live inside where it is warm and dry and rarely stray more than a few metres from their nest. They prefer to feed on grains, cereals and other dry goods.

  Rats generally nest outside under buildings, in piles of debris or in overgrown parts of the section. They range further than mice and will feed on almost anything including meat, fish and rubbish.

  Both creatures are incredibly agile and can climb most vertical surfaces, leap across wide spaces, swim very well and squeeze through very small gaps - just 12mm wide.

  Rodent control

  Always wear rubber gloves when disposing of dead rodents whether poisoned or killed in a trap. Dispose of their bodies in an appropriate manner.

  Rodents can usually be controlled by baiting or trapping. However, to effectively control rodent problems you must also deprive them of:

  Entry

  • Ensure your home is rodent proof
  • Seal holes around pipes into buildings
  • Seal gaps under and around doors Repair holes in wall cladding
  • Repair broken windows
  • Cover air vents with fine wire mesh

  Food and water

  • Ensure your property is clean and hygienic
  • Remove food scraps
  • Remove water sources such as leaking pipes, old tyres, pots that collect rainwater
  • Remove rubbish immediately or store in containers with secure lids
  • Never leave uneaten pet food out overnight

  A home

  • Ensure your property is clear of potential nesting sites
  • Discard unused newspapers and other junk or store it neatly at least half a metre off the ground
  • Bury compost in the garden
  • Clear overgrown parts of your section

  Bait

  Poisoned bait is available from garden or hardware shops. Follow all instructions and warnings and always wash your hands thoroughly after handling it.

  Tips to remember when using bait:

  • Place the bait where the rodents are active, such as in the ceiling cavity, under the floor, in the garage...
  • Always put bait out of reach of children and pets.
  • Make a bait box - put the bait under an upside down (ice cream) container with small holes cut in opposite sides for the rodents to gain entry, and a weight on top to stop it blowing away or being knocked over. A length of 80mm or 100mm drainpipe also makes a simple bait box for outside.
  • Leave bait down for at least two weeks after the rodents seem to be gone
  • For mice, which only nibble at food, put down several lots of bait close together to make sure they eat enough of it.

  Trapping

  If you don't want to use poison, traps work well with mice. Rats are a little more cunning and tend to avoid traps.

  Traps are best located in areas such as burrow entrances or along their track ways. You need to check them daily and reset those that have been successful.

• Stock and impounded stock

  What counts as stock?

  Stock includes horses, asses, mules, cattle, deer, alpacas and small animals, sheep, goats, pigs

  Goats, horses, sheep and pigs

  These animals are likely to attract flies and vermin, and result in offensive odours. Keeping them in residential areas is generally not appropriate.

  We keep details of all impounded stock in our Animal Impounding Register. The Impounding Register can be viewed at the Animal Control office.

  Impounded stock

  If your animal is not listed, we can add it as a lost animal. You can also check with the SPCA.

  If we have your animal in impound, you can come and check it is actually yours before paying any fees due. You have to pay any fees before we can release the animal to you. Your receipt becomes your release certificate. You will also need to arrange a collection time with us.

  Directions to Dunedin Stock Impound

  Turn left off George Street onto Duke Street. This will become Malvern Street. Travel approximately 1.6km to 174 Malvern Street. When you see a playground, you will find the stock impound paddock across the road.

  You can view a map of Directions to Dunedin Stock Pound from the related information section below

  Directions to Mosgiel Stock Impound

  From Gordon Road, turn into Bush Rd and then right into Carlyle Rd (5th on right). The pound is on the left at the old yards.

  You can view a map of Directions to Mosgiel Stock Pound from the related information section.

Animal Services fees and charges