Surf Coast Shire Council has decided on a new cat curfew to help protect the local felines, environment and native animals.
Council decided during a meeting this week to go ahead with the proposed 24-hour curfew where cats must always be confined at their owner’s residence.
Surf Coast Shire residents will have a six-month transition period to plan, following recommendations to owners from Council, with the curfew coming into effect on September 30.
Councillor Kate Gazzard said the revised curfew allowed Council to protect the environment and that Shire residents would be supported over the coming months.
“As well as helping prevent harm to wildlife, cat curfews improve the health and safety of cats,” she said.
“A cat curfew can prevent injuries that can occur through fights with other cats, being run over by a vehicle, eating toxic plants or poisons, or wandering onto neighbouring households where they could cause a nuisance.
“Given there was already a legal requirement that cats are not allowed to trespass on other people’s property, the six-month transition period should be enough time to prepare.
“Council will support urban and rural cat owners over the next six months by promoting resources on how to make modifications to their property and their cat’s behaviour so that they can comply with the 24-hour cat curfew.
“Pet owners with registered cats in our database will receive email updates, and information sessions will be held in Anglesea, Torquay and Winchelsea.”
Ms Gazzard said the curfew also enabled Council to promote responsible pet ownership, a priority of the Council’s Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) 2022-25.
“During the DAMP community engagement in 2021, we heard that cats harming wildlife was one of the three biggest concerns from the 734 survey respondents,” she said.
“We also heard that 55 per cent of respondents said they would like a 24-hour cat curfew in both rural and urban areas to minimise trespassing by cats and to help protect the native wildlife, particularly birds.
“As a result, the DAMP identified an action to investigate and make recommendations regarding extending the cat confinement order.”
Councillor Paul Barker shared concerns regarding the curfew and identified that policing the curfew would be challenging and could create problems in the future.
Mayor Liz Pattison and other councillors said that although this was a concern, it was the owner’s responsibility to control their cats and that future data on the topic would be considered.
The 24-hour cat curfew will replace the February 20, 2001, cat confinement order that required cats to be securely confined on the owner’s premises between 8pm and 6am.
