The Australian Pet Welfare Foundation, in collaboration with the Ipswich City Council and RSPCAQ, along with many Partner Organisations including Greencross and MSD Animal Health, is implementing a Community Cat Program. This is a 5-year research project that will assess methods for managing stray cats in cities and towns based on desexing and community engagement.

We urgently need volunteers to help us count the number of free-roaming cats in the Ipswich area.

Volunteers will walk a pre-selected route in teams of two or three with the objective of counting and photographing all free-roaming cats. We are looking for volunteers with a smart phone (Android or iPhone) with a working camera, as you will be given access to an app to record the data.  Volunteers are asked to arrive at the selected site 1 hour before sunset (approximately 5:00 pm).  There will be a 30-minute induction and training with the app, then cat counting will run from 5:30 pm until 8:00 pm.  Teams will be following a map that has been pre-registered in the phone app and walking along pathways through selected streets (in residential and commercial areas). The distance walked will be approximately 10-12 km over 2-2.5 hours (normal walking pace).

Cat counting will take place on Sundays until the 17th of November 2019. Volunteers will receive a $20 Petbarn voucher.

If you are interested, please tell us the night/s you are available and we will contact you with further information.