Yarra Ranges cats lose right to roam under 24-hour curfew

THE cats of the Yarra Ranges are no longer welcome outside the boundaries of their owners’ properties now that a 24-hour curfew is in place.

n46mv316 Cat. A cat Curfew is set to be introduced into the Moonee Ponds area of Melbourne.

WATCH out pussy cat – your days of wandering the streets are over.

D-day has arrived for cats across the region, with the controversial 24 hour-cat curfew officially in operation as of October 1.

Cats must now be confined to their owners’ property 24 hours a day – they can go outside, but can’t leave the property boundary. The fine for breaching the curfew is $74.

ARE YOUR NEIGHBOURS ABIDING BY THE CAT CURFEW? TELL US BELOW

Yarra Ranges Mayor Fiona McAllister reassured residents the council would not be sending out cat ­patrols and council officers would be taking a “commonsense approach” in enforcing the curfew.

If someone is having a problem with a cat, the council encourages them to talk to their neighbours first, and if they have no ­satisfactory response, then ­notify the council.

Cr McAllister said the council would be fining owners who did the wrong thing, but it is not clear how much the fine will be.

Residents can use a humane trap to catch neighbours’ cats if they can’t resolve the issue by talking with them. The cat can be returned to its owners or taken to Coldstream Animal Aid, where people will have to pay a fee to have it released.