Cat management strategy working group

The Cat Management Strategy Working Group (CMSWG) has held its first meeting. The group includes councils, animal welfare groups, conservation partners and government. It will help put the Victorian Cat Management Strategy 2025–2035 into action.

What is the CMSWG?

The CMSWG is a practical group that brings different sectors together. It helps Animal Welfare Victoria (AWV) deliver the Strategy over the next 10 years.

The group helps by:

• sharing good ideas about managing cats
• talking about what councils, shelters and communities are seeing
• finding problems early and suggesting ways to fix them
• helping groups work together and avoid doing the same work twice
• keeping the focus on cat welfare, wildlife protection and community needs

Who is on the Working Group?

These organisations took part in the first meeting:

• Animal Welfare Victoria (DEECA)
• City of Greater Bendigo
• City of Greater Geelong
• City of Whittlesea
• Parks Victoria
• Zoos Victoria
• RSPCA Victoria
• The Lost Dogs Home
• Cat Protection Society of Victoria
• Project Meow Geelong
• Victorian Catchments

Council, shelter and rescue group members may change over time. This will help make sure different views are included.

First meeting: what happened

The first meeting was held online on Thursday 2 April 2026.

Why the Strategy matters

The meeting showed that cat management is a difficult issue across Victoria. The Strategy aims to support responsible cat ownership and improve cat welfare. It also aims to reduce harm to wildlife and respond to community concerns.

Work already underway

AWV gave updates on work already in progress, including:

• Targeted cat desexing grants (Action 12)
  A grants program is helping councils run local cat desexing programs. The focus is on semi-owned and unowned cats. The program will be reviewed at the end to see what worked and what can be improved.
• 'Rethink Roaming' cat containment campaign (Action 7)
  AWV and RSPCA Victoria are working together on a statewide campaign. It encourages people to keep cats safely contained and be responsible cat owners. The campaign explains the benefits for cats and wildlife.
• Practical resources for councils and communities (Actions 1 & 2)
  Councils can use and share updated information about responsible cat ownership. This includes advice on desexing, cat containment and keeping cats active and healthy.
• Behaviour assessment guidelines (Action 11)
  Guidelines have been developed to help shelters and rescue groups assess cat behaviour. Stakeholders helped develop them. Extra materials, like videos, are being finalised to help people use the guidelines in the same way.

What the group talked about

The group had a useful discussion about what is working, what is hard, and where there are good chances to make progress.

Main topics included:

• Responsible ownership and welfare
  The group talked about the need for clear, positive education. Trusted voices, such as vets, shelters and community groups, can help share this message.
• More cat desexing
  The group discussed barriers such as cost, transport and access to services. These issues can be harder for people doing it tough or caring for several cats.
• Cat containment
  The group discussed the need for simple and realistic advice. Advice should work for different homes, including rental homes and smaller properties.
• Semi-owned and unowned cats
  The group discussed the need for clearer public advice about cats that are fed or cared for informally. This could help improve outcomes for cats and communities.
• Feral cat management
  The group discussed the need for land managers to work together and share what works over time.
• Better coordination and information sharing
  The group was interested in making it easier to see who is doing what and where. This could help reduce duplicated work.

What happens next

The CMSWG agreed that the next meeting will focus on setting priorities and timing for the Strategy’s actions. This means deciding what should happen first to make the biggest difference and build momentum.

AWV will also keep working on actions from the first meeting. This includes developing a simple public information hub so the community and stakeholders can find strategy updates and resources more easily.
For more information visit Victorian cat management strategy.

A positive start

The first meeting was a positive start. It showed that different sectors are committed to working together. The focus is on practical, evidence-based ways to improve cat welfare, support responsible ownership and reduce preventable harm to wildlife. The group will focus on solutions that work for Victorian communities.