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Melbourne's Knox Council Is Bringing In A 24-Hour Cat Curfew

Melbourne's Knox Council Is Bringing In A 24-Hour Cat Curfew

The measure is being brought in to protect other animals from a grisly death.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

A council in Melbourne is bringing in a 24-hour cat curfew to keep felines at home forever.

Knox City Council has brought in the new ruling to prevent cats from leaving their homes at any time, day or night, and they will only be allowed to roam through a house, shed, garage, or enclosure.

Owners will have to ensure they have the correct facilities that ensure the pets have no chance at escaping. Cat owners know that will be easier said than done as they can find exits everywhere.

The measure will kick into gear in October and has been brought in to stop local wildlife from being killed.

La Trobe University Ecologist Dr Jim Radford said too many possums, birds, bats and reptiles are being killed every year because of free grazing domestic cats.

PA

"Cat containment at all times is just another element of responsible pet ownership," he said.

Owners who break the rules within the first six months will get a warning and the first breach after that will result in a $91 fine. Additional breaches will see owners fined a whopping $545 each time.

Knox City Council will also be doing random door knocks on properties to see whether pets are registered. Any animal that isn't in the system will result in a $330 fine.

Local cat owner Charlotte Jensen told 7News: "Either we'd have to build another fence to section it off or we'd have to cover the whole backyard, which would be expensive.

"It's just not fair on them. It's like putting a tiger in the zoo. It's just too small and they don't have that freedom."

PA

But Knox City Council isn't the first and most likely won't be the last to introduce measures designed to restrict cats.

Mount Barker, which is around 30 minutes southeast of Adelaide, voted in strict new laws that limit the number of cats a person can own to just two back in 2019.

The council also introduced a curfew for felines, meaning they'll have to be on their owner's property from 8pm until 7am.

In addition to those two pretty harsh rules, owners will be penalised if the cat is a nuisance. According to news.com.au, that includes cats caught killing native wildlife or defecating or urinating on other people's properties.

A federal inquiry is also underway to see how to stop millions of animals being killed by feral cats every year and that could include a massive feline cull.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Australia