A woman has demanded answers after City of Armadale staff euthanised her cat an hour after picking it up, believing it to be feral.
Madi Owttrim headed to Facebook last week to vent her rage after finding out her cat, which had been picked up by rangers earlier that day, was euthanised shortly after it was collected.
Ms Owttrim claimed rangers picked up the cat after it was trapped on a neighbour’s property – and it was euthanised 64 minutes later.
“This is a complete injustice,” she said.
“There is no way we are going to let this go, they shouldn’t be allowed to euthanise cats whenever they want.”
She said the city had failed to follow its own rules after reading a web page which claimed dogs and cats would be be held at the Armadale pound for seven days if they were registered or microchipped, and four days if not, before being considered for euthanasia.
“There is a reason why we have acts and they should follow them,” she said.
However the city offered an alternative story, and claimed its employees followed procedure.
City chief executive Ray Tame said an experienced ranger and a registered veterinarian reviewed the cat and were convinced it was feral based on its appearance and behaviour.
This decision is in line with the Western Australia Cat Act 2011, which allows cats to be euthanised immediately if an animal management facility operator believes that it is feral.
He claimed their belief was supported by the facts that no cats were registered at Ms Owttrim’s family property, that a microchip could not be detected and it was not wearing a collar.
He urged residents to have all pets registered with the city to stop similar mishaps occurring.
“If cats are registered and microchipped, the incidence of pets being euthanised as strays/feral will be reduced,” he said.
The incident was being investigated by the city.
