Council delays cat curfew decision

THE City of Greater Geelong has unexpectedly delayed a decision to vote on the introduction of a 24-hour cat curfew aimed at safeguarding local wildlife and ensuring the safety of household pets.

The initiative is designed to address concerns over the impact of roaming cats on native animals and the dangers they face from traffic and other urban threats.

2,352 submissions were sent in during the Cat Curfew Review consultation, which ran from June 5 to July 16, 2023.

Overall, 62 per cent of respondents supported the introduction of a 24-hour cat curfew model, requiring cats to be contained to their owners’ premises at all times.

“Implementing 24-hour cat confinement represents proactive and positive action towards reducing the impact of cats on the environment and wildlife within the municipality,” the council report stated.

The cat confinement order aims to promote responsible pet ownership and address the impact of wandering domestic cats on environment and wildlife.

The city plans to support cat owners through this transition by providing information on creating cat-friendly indoor spaces and possibly offering financial assistance for constructing cat enclosures.

Since 2009, the city has required cats to be home between sunset and sunrise.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Cr Melissa Cadwell put forward a motion that the cat curfew agenda item be deferred, which was seconded by deputy mayor Anthony Aitken and supported by the majority of councillors. No reason was given for the deferral.

The federal Parliament ran an inquiry into the problem of feral and domestic cats in Australia in 2020, after which they agreed to assist local governments and communities to instigate best practice domestic cat management.

According to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water feral cats threaten the survival of over 100 native species in Australia and have caused the extinction of some ground-dwelling birds and small to medium-sized mammals.