BAN RESIDENTS USING SUNSHINE COAST CAT TRAPS

Sunshine Coast Council allow unqualified residents to use their cat traps, especially over weekends & public holidays. Confinement laws mean cats will escape occasionally & this council deputises neighbours as revenue collectors by giving them traps to go after pet cats in their streets. The council earns up to $700 per impounded cat causing financial hardship to many households & makes pet ownership frought with unnecessary fear. It pits neighbour against neighbour if we find out who is trapping & impounding our cats. The biggest issues are by allowing residents to trap over weekends or long weekends, they are required to care for the animal for days & nights as pounds don't open. The traumatised animal screams non-stop & they are exposed to abuse & injury by cruel trappers & trappers are not obligated to return the animal to the pound as residents think the pound staff will come & pick them up. This is untrue so animals can remain trapped & cramped for up to a fortnight before the traps have to be returned. An actual case study from 1 December 2019 showed a neighbour trapped a disabled cat for over 20+ hours in his concrete, stone covered backyard in 38oC+ heat in full sun with no water. They knew people were looking for the cat from 530am & did nothing - it was discovered in his yard at 730pm. Instead of being humane he refused to return the cat to its owner & refused to listen to facts about its management. Instead the trapper attacked the owner & his neighbours & their children & demanded he wanted to see the animal destroyed & the owner punished. Why? He isn't known to any of his neighbours & the cat is an inside cat. This violent abuse continued until police support was mentioned. The cat was let out of the cage into traffic & he threatened to keep trapping every weekend until he caught all the cats in his area. What about the cat - spinal damage, bulging disc, contusions, damage to lower spine & pelvis & bruising as well as severe mis muscle strictures to back legs. The cat was traumatised for weeks. Wouldn't eat, purr or come out from hiding places for days. He needed tests, steroids, surgery & ongoing pain medication & a lot of retraining as his confidence & trust had been destroyed. The sunshine coast council are not interested in clearing strays from arks, drains, bushland on the estate because strays don't pay revenjeyso the council goes after pets because their owners will have to fork out big bucks or forfiet their pet. Stop residents from trapping - it's inhumane & dangerous for the animal & can cause major issues between neighbours.