An overnight curfew protects your cat from danger. Cats have accidents involving cars, dogs and unkind people primarily at night. They are also more likely to hunt at night, putting themselves and wildlife at risk of injury or death.
Strict cat curfews have been introduced across Australia in a bid to stop them driving other animals to extinction. The drastic move has seen owners face restrictions such as a limit on the number of cats per household and rules that owners must keep the pets on a lead to leave the property.
If you live on property and treat your cat like a working cat you are required to effectively constrain it before 1 July 2023. Helpful resources are available via Animal Welfare Victoria here. All cats must be registered, microchipped, desexed and kept safe, in line with the 24-hour cat curfew.
Council can issue an order to stop your cat trespassing and if you don't comply you can be fined. Some Councils require cats to be confined to their owner's property during certain hours.
The Common Law Duty of Care
It is often thought that cats have a right to roam wherever they wish. This idea is based on the fact that dog and livestock owners are obliged by law to keep their animals under control - but these duties do not apply to cat owners.
In such cases, the local authority can take action against the landowner. If you wish to make an allegation of nuisance regarding a neighbour's cat, then the relevant provisions are contained in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. You should refer such complaints about the cat to the Local Authority.
Bottom line: AHS veterinarians recommend keeping your cat indoors. But the decision is yours. If you choose to allow your cats outside, take the proper precautions to keep your kitty healthy and safe.
From 1 July 2022 all cats will be required to be registered, with details to be updated annually. Existing owners will be able to register their cat for free while new owners after this date will pay a small one-off fee. The new requirement for cat registration and fees mirror the ACT's annual dog registration scheme.
The recommended standard number is three; anyone who has more than three cats can keep existing cats that are registered with the City but once and if the local law is made, cannot not add any more or substitute them without approval.
If you hit and injure an animal (apart from a bird), you are required by law to do whatever you reasonably can to ease its pain. If it's not a wild animal then the injury must be reported to the police or the animal's owner.
An overnight curfew protects your cat from danger. Cats have accidents involving cars, dogs and unkind people primarily at night. They are also more likely to hunt at night, putting themselves and wildlife at risk of injury or death.
Cats Protection recommends that you keep your cats in at night. Cats are natural hunters, making them more active at night time, and some studies show that more road traffic injuries happen at night.
The law on letting your cat outside
"Unfurtunately", there is no clear-cut countrywide law on letting your cat roam freely. There aren't usually statewide laws, either. While the US does have countrywide and statewide laws on things like animal cruelty, your city or county sets laws regarding free-roaming cats.
It's estimated that feral cats kill 75 million native animals every night across Australia, including birds, frogs, small mammals, and reptiles.
Letting your cat outside exposes it to risks from cars, animals, disease and people, as well as putting native Aussie wildlife on its dinner plate. For its own safety, and your peace of mind, we recommend keeping your cat in your home or a secure enclosure or run whenever possible.
Home-made Cat Deterrent Spray
2 cups white vinegar, 1 tablespoon whole cloves, 2 or 3 garlic cloves - peeled and crushed, 2 or 3 hot chillies, 2 or 3 drops of concentrated dish washing liquid, black pepper, water to fill bottle. Combine all ingredients in an empty two litre bottle, and leave mixture overnight.
Maximum six
According to experts, an individual must not have more than five cats. If you really love cats, six is the maximum. There is no going more than this amount. This is as it is impossible for any person or even a household to care for more than six cats.
The number of cats you can humanely care for depends on your availability, energy, and resources. For most of us, having one or two cats is a full-time job, but some people may be able to balance caring for as many as four to six cats.
There is no magic number at which “how many” becomes “too many.” It's more like a magic threshold one crosses at which point life goes from being “feline-friendly” to “feline-unhealthy.” For some cat owners, “too many” means two cats. For others, it means nine.
In some areas, this is a curfew where cats are not allowed to roam freely after dark. But in other areas, cats must be kept on their own property at all times. Most areas will make an exception and allow cats onto council land if they are on a leash or in a carrier.
Can a landlord stop a tenant owning a pet? Yes. If you are a tenant, you need permission from your landlord to own a pet. Your landlord can refuse to allow you to have a pet.
Western Australia and NSW remain the only two states that have no restrictions. Domestic cats kill about 252 million mammals each year.
Cons of Indoor Cats
Because cats enjoy roaming and exploring, keeping them inside can lead to boredom. Some indoor cats also experience depression and separation anxiety. To prevent these issues, you must take steps to meet your cat's needs.
Cats carry bacteria in their mouths, which can lead to local or systemic infection if a cat licks an open wound. Immunocompromised people are most at risk. Acquiring a disease from your cat is very rare, but to be safe, don't let your cat lick your face or any cuts on your skin.
Is it cruel to have an indoor cat? As long as your cat has the space and resources to express all of their natural behaviours and isn't frustrated when they can't go outside, there's no reason they can't live a perfectly happy life as a house cat.