Strict new laws in Western Australia will require all cats to be microchipped, sterilised and registered on a database.
Local Government Minister John Castrilli said the Cat Act, which was passed through the Legislative Assembly yesterday, would help reduce the number of unwanted cats euthanised each year in WA.
He said the new act gives local governments the power to deal with irresponsible owners, including cat hoarders, and with wild cats.
"In essence, the legislation will make way for better management of the unwanted impacts of cats on the community and the natural environment, causing nuisance and damage to property," he added.
Cat owners will have two years to comply with the new law and breeders are exempt from having their cats sterilised.
Conservation Council of WA spokesman John McCarten said the legislation would limit the number of cats escaping into the wild and breeding feral cats which are a serious threat to a "huge range" of native wildlife.
"This legislation will make sure the minority of owners who have resisted voluntary measures do the right thing by their cats and our native animals."
The Commonwealth and Scientific Industrial Research Organisation estimates in the Kimberley region alone, there are about 100,000 feral cats, with each one killing up to 12 native animals daily.
"If left unsecured, even the most docile domestic tabby can easily return to the predatory behaviour that evolution and hundreds of years of careful breeding have granted it," Mr McCarten said.
