The five day limit is actually a positive step. At present cats can be destroyed the day they are collected. There is a huge feral population here where I live and the local attitude if you want a cat is 'I hear so and so has kittens at the moment'. Its not a profit-making activity, it is just what cats do. I agree education will need to be part of the process, but with a population of 500,000 in a land area the size of Ireland, the chances of resolving the situation without some radical steps is difficult. regarding the comment on port facilities - yes, that does happen, but the few active ports in tassie are in urban areas so the cats will be unlikely to travel further afield. Farmers can only shoot a cat if it is 1 kilometre from human habitation - any closer they are breaking the law. I think in the circumstances that prevail in Tassie it is a step in the right direction. It won't solve the problem, but it will make people start to be a bit more responsible for their animal's welfare and ensure that those animals that find homes are given appropriate care, which can not be guaranteed at present if the local examples are anything to go by. Yes, it is distressing that cats may be lost, but that is a better fate than dying from disease, cold and neglect which is what happens to the ferals in rural areas around here. The kittens I found last autumn all had gritty eyes and were in poor health, as was their mother. There are not enough people here to ensure they are properly cared for in the numbers that presently exist. It was not my intention to cause anyone distress with some of the more draconian aspects of the legislation, so I apologise if that has been the result.
