A LOCAL veterinary practice manager and pet shop owner say the problem of unwanted cats in Swan Hill is getting worse.
Pye St Veterinarian Clinic practice manager Simon Slater said there had been an increase in unmicrochipped kittens left unattended at his business in sacks, crates and boxes.
This often put his clinic in the unpleasant situation of euthanising the animals if they can't find them a suitable home.
"It's the attitude of the people that have the animals and the value that they put on their own pets,"
"For example if there is a family with children and the kids have the job of looking after it, sometimes the cute animal isn't that nice anymore when it makes a mess on the floor. If the adults are prepared to get a pet, they need to stick with it long term."
Mr Slater also expressed concerns that animals that are re-housed aren't receiving the vaccines they need.
"Out of the 100s we've given away, less than 10 per cent have come back [to the clinic]. If they're not coming back for vaccination or desexing, they're part of the disease pool."
Mr Slater said Swan Hill needed a proper animal shelter to help house displaced animals, where they can be vaccinated, desexed and then sold onto responsible pet owners.
At the Swan Hill Pet Shop, owner manager Andrew Walker said his business received unwanted cats every week and believes people are abandoning their animals because of the microchipping and desexing costs.
"I can take in about half of what I get asked, but if they're unhealthy or dehydrated I've got to turn them away," he said.
"Females are getting dumped more because it's cheaper at the vet's to get males desexed.
"We've always had a problem in Swan Hill of people dumping animals...it's easy to drive out to the road and dump them."
If unmicrochipped cats are caught by council rangers, they are held for eight days and euthanised if they can't be unclaimed, council's manager of regulatory services Harold Rovere said.
Council figures show 357 cats were put down in the 2010-2011 financial year, while 335 dogs were put down.
"Under the act, council must accept any unclaimed and unwanted animals," Mr Rovere said.
"It is the responsibility of the owners to take care of their animals and be mindful of their welfare. They must have their animals registered and microchipped because we know who it belongs to and can return them."
From January, new Victorian laws require all cats and dogs advertised for sale in newspapers to be microchipped.
Swan Hill Veterinary Clinic practice manager Angie Mercer said the new regulations have good and bad sides to them.
"The positive is you'll always know who the pet belongs too. But the negative is if people are selling puppies, they have to have them microchipped before they even know who the new owner is, so that involves another trip to the vet once they've been sold," she said.
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