Secret Cat Campaign

PetRescue, a not-for-profit online database of animal rescue organisations, has recently launched a new campaign to continue its work to save the lives of Australia’s furry friends

The Secret Cat Campaign is an initiative that utilises information published in a report to the Animal Welfare Science Centre in 2009 entitled Characteristics of Pets Visiting Vets, which indicated that 40 per cent of cat owners are also feeding a cat that does not belong to them.

Michelle Williamson, editor of The Pet Rescuer, PetRescue’s online newsletter, describes the experience that sparked the idea for the campaign in the first place…

‘When this cat showed up on my doorstep and mewed to let me know that she was planning to stay, I was faced with a dilemma. Allow her ex-owners (the people whose house I’d just bought) to take her to our local pound, or keep this belligerent, yet remarkably charming “outdoor” cat and hope that my allergies could be kept in check by drugs and frequent hand washing.’

Semi-owned cats
‘I chose to let her continue to live under the steps of my patio,’ Michelle continues. ‘We’ve since been to the vet together, she now answers to her new name, “Secret Cat”, and she confidently head-butts me while I serve her breakfast and dinner. And she’s given me first-hand experience of the dynamic of the “semi-owned” cat – those cats who would be too feral to be re-homed to a family, but who have someone willing to care for their welfare.’

Thus the Secret Cat campaign was born, which aims to build a community of “secret cat owners” and encourage these big-hearted people to take steps to ensure the health and de-sexing of these wandering moggies. The campaign provides links to low-cost de-sexing, cat rescue organisations and plenty on tips on how to deduce whether your ‘secret cat’ is genuinely homeless or simply a neighbour’s cheeky fur-ball dining out with his feline friends!!

•    For more information, visit www.communitycats.com.au and find out how you can help save a life.

Images by Spamily and ‘Toshio’