Selwyn cats required to be microchipped from July 1
All domestic cats in Selwyn district over the age of 4 months will have to be microchipped and registered from Friday, July 1.
The Keeping Animals, Poultry and Bees Bylaw, which passed last year, aims to protect the public from nuisance, and address public health and safety issues.
The decision to include the cat microchipping requirement was made following the strong support it received during public consultation. This makes Selwyn the fourth council in the country to require microchipping of cats, along with Palmerston North City Council, Wellington City Council and Whanganui District Council.
“Microchipping your cat is the best way to ensure your lost pet gets home. It is also considered key to being a responsible pet owner,” council regulatory manager Susan Atherton said.
“A cat may go missing for a number of reasons. Often cats are also presumed to be strays and are taken to shelters by well-meaning people. Microchipping allows veterinarians and animal shelters, such as SPCA, to contact the owner once their cat is found.”
Cat owners are responsible for the one-off cost of microchipping and registration for the life of the cat with the approved microchip registry, the New Zealand Companion Animals Register (NZCAR). Microchipping can be done at any local vet. The registration with NZCAR is most commonly done for the owner by their vet at the time of microchipping, or by SPCA/rescues at the time of adoption.
The council will take an educational approach to encouraging people to microchip and register their pet.
If people find a stray cat they should continue to take them to a cat rescue, SPCA or their local vet.
For more information on the Keeping Animals, Poultry and Bees Bylaw and domestic cats requirements visit the Council website at www.selwyn.govt.nz....
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⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️