As snake season kicks off and families welcome new pets from Santa, Dr Bullem said it was important to establish good habits now.

"Firstly, it's for their own safety," Dr Bullem said, "avoiding big dangers - things like road accidents, getting shut in people's garages... and cat fights are really common.

"They're a really big cause of illnesses and injuries, but also they can spread things like Feline aids and Feline leukemia virus."

"Then there's living in Tassie - we're in one of the most beautiful areas in the world in terms of wildlife and we're so blessed in that.

"We know our cats eat things, and we know they kill things, and even if it's not often every life is worth saving," she said.

Dr Bullem said even if a cat doesn't kill an animal, the injuries they inflict upon smaller wildlife, like birds and small mammals, can have a bigger impact than may first appear.

"We get a lot of wildlife with cat injuries to it and people don't realise that one tooth puncture mark to any kind of bird or small mammal, if they don't get immediate veterinary care or antibiotics, they're dead from infection.

"Even if it they've just played with the animal in their mouth or it got away and it seems like they're fine, it's a death sentence."

Dr Bullem said she understood the concerns of owners in wanting their cats to have fresh air and the ability to explore, but that the cat's quality of life didn't have to change.

"Certainly if you've got a really old cat that's never been contained before they may have some trouble getting used to it.

"But many people are surprised by how well their cat will take to being contained," she said.

"It can take them a little bit to get into the swing of things, but there are so many options around... for cat containment systems, so there are plenty of ways your cat can get access to outdoors and sunshine and grass and that kind of thing without roaming free.

"It can be as simple as putting them on a lead and containing outside like that.

"It sounds silly, but if you have a kitten it's worth training them to do that."

Burnie cat owner Grant Wells has had cats for years, but it was when one of his beloved pets got hit by a car that he and his wife decided it was time to keep their pets indoors.

Determined for them to have sunshine and fresh air, he built an intricate cat run in his backyard will allows his cats Flo and Lulu to roam freely, without posing any danger to themselves or their environment.

"There are separate access points from the house, and it's actually two runs now," Mr Wells said.

"If our cats want separate spaces, there's room for that."

He said the runs took a couple of weeks to build, but that he and his wife wanted to protect the native wildlife around them and provide plenty of room for their pets to wander.

"They love it. We custom built it to suit our environment, and at this point the landscape has taken over.

"There are plants growing around it, we hardly notice it's there."