Cats run rampant in Watsonia spurring calls for curfew
Animal lovers are calling for Banyule to enforce a cat curfew from sunset to sunrise to save local wildlife. They say if dogs were roaming the streets, action would have already been taken.
North West
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Exasperated Banyule animal lovers are calling for a cat curfew to be put in place to save the native wildlife.
Watsonia’s Jonathan Parker said the amount of cats he saw roaming the streets drove him mad.
“I’ve counted 15 in one night,,” he said.
He said the cats were rampant on Watsonia’s Bungay St, just down from Loyola Reserve.
“Watsonia’s a very green area with a lot of native birds, it’s crazy people think it’s okay for cats to bring a ‘present’ to their doorstep,” he said.
“We definitely need a cat curfew, if our dogs were out roaming it would be a different issue.”
A cat curfew would require cat owners to keep their felines inside from sunset to sunrise.
Watsonia’s Peta Laurri said cats often came into her backyard at night.
“It drives our dogs nuts, I don’t know why people don’t care about the native wildlife that their cats kill,” she said.
The book Cats in Australia: Companion and Killer revealed domesticated cats kill roughly 75 animals annually.
Greensborough’s Cat Protection Society of Victoria marketing and communications manager Rachel Bitzilis said they would advocate for a curfew.
“Cat curfews assist in not only protecting native animals but also help protect pet cats themselves who are more likely to be hit by a car or get into fights of an evening,” Ms Bitzilis said.
The CPSV is the pound for both Nillumbik and Banyule.
Almost double the amount of stray cats at the centre come in from Banyule.
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“We actually recommend that cats remain inside at all times,” she said.
“Cats can happily live indoors full time as long as they have a climbing and scratching pole, food and water, a litter tray, toys and of course, love and attention from a human companion,” Ms Bitzilis said.
An indoor cat lives an average of 12-18 years and an outdoor cat only 2-5 years.
Banyule Mayor Alison Champion said Banyule did not have an after hours cat curfew.
“When we receive a complaint, we mail a notification to pet owners in the area advising that cat trapping will occur and ask them to keep their cats indoors at night,” she said.
“We also remind them to register their cat with council.”
courtney.beaumont@news.com.au