As Cat Haven prepares to celebrate its 65th birthday on 29th June, Western Australia’s largest cat welfare organisation is reflecting on a sobering reality, despite six and a half decades of work, the challenges facing cats in our community remain as urgent as ever.
In 1961, Cat Haven was founded to provide refuge for homeless, abandoned and unwanted cats. Today, 65 years later, the shelter continues to face increasing numbers of cats requiring care, with thousands entering its doors each year.
The milestone comes at a time when Cat Haven is experiencing growing pressure from rising intake numbers, increasing operating costs and a lack of adequate government support.
It now costs more than $9.3 million each year to operate Cat Haven and care for the more than 8,500 cats that rely on its services annually. Yet just $150,000 of this funding – only 1.6% comes from the State Government.
“While we are incredibly proud to be celebrating 65 years of helping cats, it is heartbreaking that we are still facing many of the same issues that existed when Cat Haven first opened,” said Cat Haven CEO Roz Robinson. “Too many cats are still being born into homelessness, too many are surrendered or abandoned, and our shelter continues to see overwhelming demand for services.”
Cat Haven believes greater investment in community cat sterilisation programs, responsible pet ownership education and support for animal welfare organisations is essential to breaking the cycle.
“We cannot adopt our way out of this problem” Robinson said.
“The solution starts before cats arrive at our shelter. We need more cats sterilised in the community, greater awareness of responsible cat ownership and meaningful support to address the root causes of cat overpopulation.”
As part of its 65th birthday campaign, Cat Haven will release a discussion paper on Monday designed to start an important conversation about the future of cat welfare in Western Australia. The paper outlines practical solutions to reduce cat overpopulation, improve responsible cat ownership, strengthen support for animal welfare organisations and increase access to community sterilisation programs.
“After 65 years, we know the current approach is not working well enough” Robinson said.
To mark its 65th birthday, Cat Haven will also launch a special campaign sharing the stories of 65 cats over 65 days. The campaign will highlight the resilience of the cats in its care while showcasing the ongoing need for community support and systemic change
