Kalgoorlie-Boulder pound sees less dogs in 2024, but hundreds more cats

While the number of abandoned and stay dogs taken in by the local pound decreased last year, the figure rose by more than 200 for cats.

Statistics from the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s Animal Management Facility obtained by the Kalgoorlie Miner show the number of dogs taken in dropped by 435 in 2023 to 399 in 2024, with cats jumping from 504 to 721.

On par with a lower impound rate, the number of dogs returning to their owners or being rehomed through a rescue organisation also dropped to 155 and 126, respectively, from 176 and 164.

However, there was also a big increase in the number of dogs being euthanised, up from 55 to 96.

As for cats, only 19 were returned to their owners in 2024, compared to 22 the year before, and 236 were rehomed through a rescue agency, down from 250.

The number of cats being euthanised in 2024 nearly doubled, jumping from 203 to 403.

The Miner reported in November the pound was experiencing a “kitten boom”, with community ranger Cameron Till revealing there had been 657 cats and kittens through the facility since the start of the year and 102 in October alone.

“We have had a bit of a boom with kittens over the last three weeks compared to a month back where we mostly were getting adult cats and cats about six months old,” he said.

“It very much always ebbs and flows, depending on the weather and temperatures as well.

“When it comes to cats we always get a lot of black-and-white cats or tabbies, but for some reason the universe has given us a few seal point cats this time as well.”

He urged local cat owners to “do the right thing” and gets their cats sterilised and microchipped.

This year’s pound stats also revealed an increase in the number of other animals coming through the pound, rising from 52 to 76.

Those pound visits included goats, roosters, chickens, ducks, rabbits, ferrets, magpies, kangaroos, swans, guinea pigs and cockatoos.

The city also handed out fewer Cat Act infringements and Cat Act breaches last year, four and 19 handed out, respectively, compared to five and 25.