City considers cat curfew for Melbourne

Management said the proposed orders aimed to address the issue of trespassing cats, achieve greater welfare outcomes for our pets and increase social harmony.

The review found that cat containment led to numerous positive outcomes for the cats themselves, with cats not at risk of injury or death due to traffic collisions, reduced likelihood of being involved in fights with other animals, reduced exposure to diseases and parasites and preventing the impounding of animals.

A spokeswoman for the City of Melbourne said the council had received overwhelming support for new measures to keep animals safe.

“Most cats in the City of Melbourne are living the apartment lifestyle, and these proposed measures would better protect native wildlife and promote responsible cat management” she said.

The council undertook community engagement and received 1758 contributions and six written submissions.

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Of those who responded, 85 per cent backed cat containment, particularly nighttime curfews, 85 per cent mandatory cat desexing and 81 per cent prohibition of cats from environmentally sensitive areas.

The proposed orders follow cat curfews in Port Phillip, Yarra, Darebin and Stonnington and mandatory desexing in Darebin and Stonnington. But the council acknowledged potential backlash from residents.

“Management recognises that the introduction of this policy means significant change for cats and their owners,” the review states.

Survey respondents expressed concerns about compliance with the policy and the impact on cats.

“Most cat owners I know ignore cat curfews, and the council do not have the staff to enforce it,” one respondent said.

“It’s very difficult to keep cats from roaming especially during the summer,” another said. “They don’t want to be contained. We try to keep ours indoors but when it’s hot they run so they won’t be put indoors.”

The council also consulted the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation, which opposes mandatory cat containment on the basis that it will lead to increased cat-related complaints, impoundments, euthanasia, higher council costs and enforcement difficulties for local governments.

“The expansion of local cat confinement laws will not solve the issue of semi-owned and stray domestic cats,” the foundation stated.

The Lost Dogs’ Home in North Melbourne said the proposed orders should be paired with
other initiatives to reduce the number of cats in shelters, including offering free desexing, microchipping and registration to cat owners from low-income households.

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