Pets & animal management

Owning a pet can give your family years of fun, but it is your responsibility to keep your pets safe, healthy and out of trouble with neighbours and other community members.

Read on to find out more about being a considerate and responsible pet owner.

• Dog and cat registration
• Forms
• Lost animals
• Dog Exercise (off-leash) Areas
• Dog & Animal Prohibited Areas
• Responsible dog and pet ownership
  

Education

Council's Animal Management Officers present talks to schools and other community groups about being a responsible pet owner and how to minimise dog attacks. 

They also visit owners of aggressive or dangerous dogs, barking dogs and other nuisance dogs to offer advice and assist, if possible. 

Lost animals

Contact Council on 4044 3044 or 4099 9444 to register your animal as lost. Customer service will record this information and email it to Animal Management and other call centre staff. Animal Management will then check the city pound and any found animals to see if we are able to make a match.

Whilst your animal is missing, please come and view at the city pound 5-5:30pm weekdays and 2-2:30pm weekends and public holidays. You can also view Impounded Pets online.

Dog attacks

If you have been bitten by a dog, notify Council immediately by phoning customer service on 4044 3044 or 4099 9444.

By notifying Council immediately, if the dog is still at large, our officers will be able to respond to secure the dog, ensuring that no one else becomes a victim. By reporting the attack early ensures we can gather the evidence needed to assist our investigations, any possible regulation as Dangerous or Menacing, and prosecution. 

Deceased animals

• Public places, roadways, drains, creeks, above high water mark - contact Council on 4044 3044. You will need to provide them with the exact location of the deceased animal.
• Below the high water mark - Please contact the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Private property - for deceased animals on private property the landowner is responsible.
  

Keeping of cats

You must have a permit if you wish to keep more than two cats on your allotment or premises.  Permit application forms are available from Council offices or in Related Documents at right.

Under Cairns Regional Council Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011 and Cairns Regional Council Subordinate Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011, it is prohibited to keep cats on any allotment located in a Conservation Planning area.

Be a responsible cat owner and keep your cat securely in your home at night so that it cannot get into fights with other cats, get runover, or hunt wildlife.  Also remember to desex and microchip your pet at an early age.

From December 2010, it is compulsory to register your cat with Council under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008. Council offers free registration for cats which are desexed.

Animal complaints

If you are having problems with an animal within the Cairns Regional Council area, whether it be:

• a wandering dog
• excessive barking
• excessive noisy bird
• excessive animals kept on premises eg: cats,dogs,poultry, etc

Council prefers that you speak with your neighbour and or keeper of the animal to make them aware that their dog is wandering. Should your approach not be successful, then please contact Council on 4044 3044 or 4099 9444, and inform them of your problem.

Following appropriate investigations and the reporting on all relevant matters, the designated course of action is implemented in accordance with Cairns Regional Council Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011 and Cairns Regional Council Subordinate Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011.