Code of Welfare for Cats
Over the past three years various members of the New Zealand Companion Animal Council have been working on creating a draft code of welfare for cats. This code establishes minimum standards with regard for the way in which people care for, and conduct themselves towards animals in their care.
Codes of welfare can contain details, including explanatory information that is not appropriate in an Act of Parliament. Codes have an important role in improving animal welfare standards.
The benefits of codes include:
- the provision of greater detail than that contained in the Act including base lines for animal management and care;
- flexibility to modify and improve animal welfare standards in line with changing community expectations, scientific knowledge and technological change;
- balanced representation of community expectations and views through community involvement in the development of codes; and
- educational value through an ability to use them to improve community awareness of animal needs.
In February this year the draft of the Code of Welfare for Cats was presented to NAWAC (The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee). In April this year NAWAC called for submissions regarding this draft code of welfare.
There are links on this page, If you are interested in making a submission along with guidelines.
NAWAC will then carefully consider all submissions received, as well as other matters relating to the Animal Welfare Act, before finalising details of the code. Following this process it will make recommendations to the Minister regarding issuing as a Code of Welfare.
The following links will take you to the website:
Notice of Welfare code being open for submissions along with guidelines:
The draft Welfare Code (Cats):
