27/05/2026
Our cat management bylaw comes into effect from Monday 1 June this year. The bylaw requires owners of domestic cats over the age of six months to microchip, desex, and register them with the New Zealand Companion Animal Register. It’s our way to encourage responsible pet ownership.
Our focus is education over enforcement to ensure that domestic cats are well cared for, can be easily reunited with their families if they get lost, and their population is managed humanely and effectively.
We want to ensure all cat owners meet the required standards by providing clear expectations and consistent support across the community. Veterinarians will continue to provide care without judgement, ensuring everyone feels confident bringing their pets in whenever they need help.
The bylaw may assist in distinguishing feral and stray cats from companion cats by requiring desexing and microchipping but does not have any powers relating to pest cats.
Unlike domestic cats, management of pest cats is covered separately under the Tasman Nelson Regional Pest Management Plan, which applies only to pest cats and excludes residential areas. It has specific site-led rules for feral cats in high-value biodiversity areas of Abel Tasman National Park, Waimea Inlet, and St Arnaud.
In rural areas with low risk of capturing domestic pets, biosecurity staff can provide advice and, if deemed necessary, may loan live capture traps to landowners.
Neither the bylaw nor the Regional Pest Management Plan provide new powers for community-led feral cat management. This includes individuals or groups taking cat management into their own hands. Owned cats are legally considered property and harming them is unlawful.