Free roaming cats

Public Comment Submission

To: The City of Cape Town

Subject: Public Comment on the Draft Animal Keeping By-law (Support for stricter containment and regulation of free-roaming cats)

Dear City of Cape Town Officials,

I am writing to express my strong support for provisions within the municipal framework that address and restrict the free-roaming of domestic cats (Felis catus). As a resident of Cape Town, I urge the City to strengthen enforcement and introduce clear mandates requiring pet owners to securely contain their cats to their own properties.

Free-roaming domestic cats are a recognized ecological threat, particularly within a globally significant biodiversity hotspot like the Cape Floristic Kingdom. While domestic cats are beloved companions, allowing them to roam unsupervised outside private property boundaries leads to the severe depletion of indigenous wildlife, including small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and localized bird populations.

Extensive scientific research underscores the magnitude of this problem:

• Comprehensive reviews and meta-analyses consistently demonstrate that free-roaming domestic cats are prolific predators. For instance, Loss et al. (2013) estimated that unmanaged and free-roaming cats kill billions of birds and mammals annually, making them a leading source of anthropogenic mortality for native wildlife populations.
• In urban and peri-urban conservation zones adjacent to residential areas—such as Cape Town's unique mountain chains and nature reserves—predation by domestic pets places unsustainable pressure on already vulnerable endemic species (Baker et al., 2008).
• Beyond direct predation, free-roaming cats pose significant public health and biosecurity risks through disease transmission (such as Toxoplasma gondii) to local wildlife and farm animals (Gerhold & Jessup, 2013).

To protect Cape Town’s fragile biodiversity, safeguard indigenous fauna from mass extermination, and simultaneously protect cats from vehicular traffic, disease, and injury, the Animal Keeping By-law must explicitly mandate that cat owners prevent their pets from wandering off their premises. Responsible pet ownership must include indoor housing or secure, enclosed catteries (catio spaces).

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this vital legislation and for your commitment to balancing community interests with environmental protection.