Legal responsibilities for cat owners

Cat ownership comes with many responsibilities. You are responsible for the animal’s health and wellbeing and you also have responsibilities which can impact on your community.

Your responsibilities

The state laws relating to South Australian cat ownership are set out in the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 (the Act). The Dog and Cat Management Board oversees the administration and enforcement of the Act and sets the strategic direction of dog and cat management for the state. Local councils are responsible for the day to day administration of dog and cat management laws.

If you are a South Australian cat owner you must:

Your council can set a ‘by-law’ which are laws that apply to your council area only. For more information, contact your local council.

Nuisance cats

For information about cats causing a nuisance, visit our nuisance cat page.

More information

Download a copy of Your cat and the law.