By JESSE GRAHAM
CAT owners need not fear the looming curfew, and the majority of owners won’t notice the change, according to Yarra Ranges Mayor Fiona McAllister.
The Yarra Ranges Council’s cat curfew will come into effect as of Wednesday, 1 October, and stipulates that cats must be kept on their owner’s property at all times.
Since endorsing the cat curfew in March, the council has received a strong backlash on social media from residents who disagree with the curfew.
However, Cr McAllister said that the “significant majority” of cat owners in the shire would not notice the curfew at all.
“Once it comes in, people will realise that, unless we’re talking about a nuisance cat, it won’t have any impact,” she said.
Cr McAllister said the curfew filled a gap in local laws, and that there was currently no policy outlining how the council would deal with cats that trespass on other properties or kill native wildlife.
At last week’s Yarra Ranges Council meeting, three letters from members of the public were answered by Director of Planning, Building and Health, Andrew Paxton.
The three submitters questioned the legitimacy of the curfew, expressed displeasure with speaking to council officers or asked how cats could be expected to be kept within fencelines.
Mr Paxton said a council officer was responding to inquiries about the curfew, and that the council would not be actively patrolling for runaway cats.
“The local law provides an avenue for neighbours to have their concerns over wandering cats – and an avenue for the council to support them,” he said.
He said the curfew and its details were legal.
A fact-sheet on the curfew and a copy of a letter sent to registered cat owners in the Yarra Ranges can be found on the council’s website at yarraranges.vic.gov.au.
For more information, call 1300 368 333.
