... but now the rule applies to the whole territory. Other areas in Australia are also banning cats from roaming around.
4 However, the ACT rules are only for cats owned after July 1, 2022. Cats owned before then only have to stay indoors if they live in one of the 17 suburbs that already had bans on roaming cats. That’s because the ACT government says it understands “that existing cats and their owners may not be prepared [for] or used to containment”. Owners of new cats will also have to pay a fee when they register their pet.
5 These rules have been introduced because cats are considered dangerous to Australian wildlife. In a report, the Parliament of Australia writes that feral and domestic cats played a big role in the extinction of more than 30 Australian mammal species.
6 The ban is part of the ACT Cat Plan 2021–2031, which the government worked on together with cat owners and environmental groups. The ten-year plan is not just about protecting wildlife, it is also meant to “help cats live longer and healthier lives” by encouraging responsible cat ownership.
7 The plan has several steps to manage cats and ensure their welfare: informing people about what it means to be a responsible cat owner and about the effect their pets have on wildlife, desexing cats, having owners register their pet cats, improving the welfare of domestic cats, reducing the number of abandoned cats, finding better ways of getting lost cats back to their owners, and keeping cats indoors.
8 Studies show that indoor cats live longer and healthier lives than free-roaming cats because they are safe from cat fights, catching diseases from other cats, or getting hit by cars.
9 And some of those indoor cats actually enjoy being taken for a walk. Experts say it helps to slowly get cats used to the leash – and lots of treats help too, of course. But there might be some problems: the RSPCA, one of the largest animal welfare charities in the UK, says that cats are in charge during a walk and want their owners to follow them. On a more serious note, the RSPCA doesn’t recommend putting cats on a leash because new environments can stress them.
10 So, it seems that cats living in homes with an escape-proof garden or those that prefer to stay at home anyway may handle the new rules better. But if all goes well, both cats and wild animals can live happy and healthy lives.
0 – 1 TO BE allowed “´"laUd‘ dürfen — (on a) leash “li…S‘ (an der) Leine — rule Regel — to protect schützen — wildlife Tier- und Pflanzenwelt — feline friend “"fi…laIn‘ samtpfotige(r) Freund(in) (feline Katzen-) — to not resist doing s.th. dem Drang nicht widerstehen können, etw. zu tun — to hunt jagen — endangered species “"spi… Si…z‘ bedrohte Art(en)
2 – 3 native heimisch — territory “"terIt´ri‘ — owner Besitzer(in) — suburb “"søb‰…b‘ Vorort — to be banned from doing s.th. etw. nicht tun dürfen — to apply gelten — to (free-)roam (frei) umherstreunen
4 to own h.: erwerben — ban on s.th. Verbot von etw. — government Regierung — to be used to s.th. etw. gewohnt sein — containment Begrenzung; h.: Einschränkungen der Bewegungsfreiheit — fee Gebühr — to register “"redZIst´‘ anmelden
5 – 6to introduce einführen — to be considered “k´n"sId´d‘ gelten als — feral cat “"fer´l‘ Straßenkatze (f. verwildert) — domestic cat Hauskatze — extinction “Ik"stINkS´n‘ Aussterben — mammal “"mœm´l‘ Säugetier — environmental group “inÆvaIr´n"ment´l‘ Umweltschutzgruppe — to be meant to do tun sollen — to encourage “In"kørIdZ‘ fördern — responsible verantwortungsbewusst — cat ownership Katzenhaltung
7 – 8 to ensure “In"SO…‘ sicherstellen — welfare Wohlergehen — to desex kastrieren — to reduce verringern — abandoned “´"bœnd´nd‘ ausgesetzt — study Studie — to catch a disease sich mit einer Krankheit anstecken
9 – 10treat Belohnung — RSPCA = Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals königl. Gesellschaft zur Verhinderung von Tiermisshandlungen (p. Vorbeugung; c. Grausamkeit) — animal welfare charity Tierschutzorganisation — to be in charge (fig) das Sagen haben — on a (more) serious note aber Spaß beiseite — to recommend “Ærek´"mend‘ empfehlen — environment Umgebung — it seems that … es scheint, dass … — escape-proof ausbruchsicher — to handle s.th. mit etw. umgehen (können)
