Wollondilly Council rules out cat curfew after reports finds it not legally enforceable

Wollondilly Council has ruled out a cat curfew, after a report found it could not be legally enforced.

Wollondilly council have decided not to enforce a cat curfew to reduce the number of roaming domestic and feral cats.

• Cat curfew plan investigated

Wollondilly Council has ruled out a cat curfew, after a report found it could not be legally enforced.

Councillor Simon Landow called for a report on introducing a curfew and other possible cat containment measures in November last year in response to community concern over cats wiping out wildlife.

Despite widespread support for a domestic cat curfew, councillors last night agreed it could not go ahead.

“The Companion Animals Act 1998 provides no legal notion of a stray cat, therefore there is no offence in a cat straying, and no requirement for cats to be kept inside,” the council report stated.

“Cats are prohibited in wildlife protection Areas. Wollondilly currently has no defined wildlife protection areas.”

Councillors unanimously supported the report’s recommendations to consider establishing wildlife protection areas across Wollondilly shire, and also introduce a public education program on responsible cat ownership.

“There’s no legal way for us to enforce a cat curfew,” Cr Simon Landow said.

“The ACT has changed its legislation around this. NSW may one day have a cat curfew, but not now.

“I’m grateful to council for looking into this and glad we are looking into protecting wildlife.”

Councillors stressed the importance of teaching pet owners to keep their cats inside at night.

“I’m really pleased this has been flagged and I’ll be bringing it up whenever there’s a rezoning,” Cr Michael Banasik said.

“We’ve got a duty to protect agriculture and our environment, and residents need to know that it’s best to keep their cats inside at night.”

According to the Agriculture and Energy Department website, feral cats threaten the survival of over 100 native species in Australia.

They have caused the extinction of some ground-dwelling birds and small to medium-sized mammals. They are a major cause of decline for many land-based endangered animals such as the bilby, bandicoot, bettong and numbat.

Feral cats are the same species as domestic cats, however they live and reproduce in the wild and survive by hunting or scavenging. They are carnivores, generally eating small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects depending on their availability.