On the edge of the Perth’s metropolitan area, just 26km southeast of the most isolated capital sits Korung National Park, a borderland between civilization and the vast expanse of nature.

Just out of sight of the city skyline and a few quick turns off Welshpool Road, Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre stands on the slopes of the national park’s rim, looking out across an ocean of a million trees, undulating like waves as the warm Autumn breeze rolls through the gully and beyond.

With 11 years of experience as the rehabilitation centre’s hospital manager Tasha Rea has built up a resistance to the emotional toll of caring for injured animals. 

Every year hundreds of wild animals caught in the crossfire of urban sprawl and industry find shelter in the safe harbour of Kanyana. Sequestered away from the risks and realities of their existence, safe for now from predators among the peaceful sounds and smells of the towering jarrah sentinels.

“It was disappointing,” she says, after a short pause. 

She’s referring to the announcement by the city of Kalamunda last August: its new cat laws, intended to ban the roaming of pet cats, were rejected.

“It’s disappointing for our wildlife. Having cats indoors is just one less predator out there, and one less thing local wildlife would need to worry about,” she says.

The KWRC is almost entirely volunteer operated and treats thousands of injured animals each year from across the Perth Hills, some of the most biodiverse areas in the metropolitan region.

Since last July more than 120 patients have been admitted with cat-induced injuries. The newest patients are a couple of young quendas, also known as western brown bandicoots, recovering from a run-in with a feline assailant.

“Quenda joeys are always at huge risk from cats, especially cats who prefer to hunt rats and mice because young quendas look just like those,” Rea says.

The impact cats, both feral and pets, have on wildlife is well reported. A 2020 study by the Australian National University estimated cats kill 390 million animals across the country every year.

Other findings from the study, which collated data from more than 20 other Australian studies, include the impact pet cats have on wildlife populations in metropolitan areas.

The study estimated that each roaming pet cat would kill 186 animals per year.

In 2018, a single pet cat killed nearly 50 fairy terns at a breeding colony near Mandurah.

As more than 70 per cent of all the cats in Australia are pets, it’s clear something needs to be done to protect the biodiversity around human population centres.

So, what is being done? 

Cat containment and control laws aren’t an entirely new concept. In fact, cat laws in the Australian Capital Territory mean all pet cats born after July 1, 2022, must be contained or under control at all times.

But here in the West, the State Government is dragging its feet when it comes to reform for the Cat Act 2011.

In 2019, the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries conducted a statutory review of the Cat Act 2011 and found calls for containment and curfew reform for pet cats due to their impact on wildlife.

But, none of the findings around the containment, control, or roaming of cats have been actioned by the State Government. 

Since 2019, local governments across the state have been trying to force the issue, many unsuccessfully. The Cities of Kalamunda, Fremantle and Kwinana, as well as the Shire of Esperance have made attempts to introduce local bylaws banning cats from roaming. 

Kalamunda’s new local cat laws were rejected by the State Government’s Joint Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation over a single clause. 

“Each cat shall be contained on the premises unless under the effective control of a person,” the rejected clause stated.

But the role of the joint standing committee is to assess whether a local law contradicts any state or federal legislation, not to pass judgement on the aim of the law.

In 2022, the WA Local Government Association, which advocates on behalf of the 139 local government areas in the state, passed a motion urging the State Government to reform the Cat Act. 

This was followed by the Shires of Mundaring and Esperance moving motions in recent months echoing WALGA’s request.

In the absence of any reform, Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre hopes education can help.

Rea says sometimes cat owners will bring in injured animals claiming their cat has never done this before.

“There are a lot of different ways you can stop this from happening again. You can keep your cats indoors, you can have a cat enclosure or catio, which actually keeps your cat safer as well,” she says.

“Your dog needs to be on a lead, pet birds need double doors, if you have reptiles they have to be in the right enclosures. We need to be responsible for every other pet we own, so why not cats?” Rea asks.

It’s not just wildlife rehabilitators and local governments that are fed up with the lack of action.

Two members of the legislative council, Dr Brad Pettitt and Dr Brian Walker have been asking questions in parliament about the next statutory review of the Act, due sometime this year.

Walker says the lack of reform of the Cat Act in the face of such strong support can be seen as symbolic of much of the legislation under the current government.

“They have an overwhelming majority in both houses, so they don’t need to make any changes,” he says.

Walker is measured and chooses his words carefully, a habit he may have developed in his previous life as a medical practioner. Despite this, a hint of frustration underpins his responses.

“I think the system now is not serving the people and we need to change it, and the Cat Act is just one example of that.

“But if it is reviewed it needs to be done with the good intent of actually doing it properly and not just as lip service.

“Innovation is actually stymied at the bureaucratic level and we are left with laws which may be functioning to a degree but don’t serve the people.”

A WA government spokesperson says the next statutory review will involve substantial work and public input to ensure any additional reforms meet broad community expectations. However, the spokesperson declines to address why no containment reform came after the 2019 review, nor when this year’s review will commence.

“The Cat Act currently provides local governments with a range of powers to manage cats within their district,” the spokesperson says in an emailed response.

Taking a tangent, that sounds a little like ‘look over there’, the spokesperson adds, “the Cook government is prioritising its efforts to implement laws designed to stop puppy farming. This work includes establishing a centralised registration system, providing pet owners a central point to register their pets and keep their details current.”

All this is despite findings from the 2020 Australian National University study, which says “registrations and identification of pet cats does not stop them from hunting.” 

It’s also interesting to notes that these responses from the government spokesperson, who asks not to be named, are the same responses Echo News received last December. Five months later, and a third of the way through 2024, information about the next statutory review is still opaque. And reform, it seems, is still a long way away.