Merri-bek is considering a 24-hr cat curfew. Why make a cat curfew which raises the cost-of-living for residents? Curfews make more homeless, stray cats, raise expensive euthanasia, overload shelters, and place rescuers at suicide-risk higher than Australian police and firefighters endure. Science-proven Community Cat Programs reduce the number of stray cats in pounds and shelters, and free up more resources to care for and re-home dogs.
90percent of Victoria's impounded cats have no owners - to contain, or to convict. How to save a $million? Running a Community Cat Program costs less than one-tenth of the cost of curfews.
Please tell Merri-bek by 23rd of July - Domestic Animal Management Plan 2025- 2029 - Survey: https://conversations.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/domestic-animal-management-plan-2025-2029 Email: Gareth Tanner gtanner@merri-bek.vic.gov.au Oznur Demirhan odemirhan@merri-bek.vic.gov.au Please include some of the science articles on cat management. (some links are below, and also here https://www.change.org/p/knox-advocats ) Councils make a night curfew, then say 'It is not working', and then make a 24-hour curfew. Councils have counted those in support of a night-curfew - as being in support of 24-hours. Many individual voices are needed direct to Council. Merri-bek killed 497 cats last year. https://www.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/my-council/strategies-policies-and-collected-data/collected-data/council-services-data/
Australian Pet Welfare Foundation submission to Merri-bek: https://petwelfare.org.au/government-submissions/victoria AdvoCats submission: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O5bQ346qsEkNIf5T9XQwyIfhR73baHx69WwPUj6_-sI/edit?tab=t.0
On April 1 2025, Melbourne City Councillor Dr Ball falsely claimed that 'Merri-bek has 24-hr containment provisions which is our neighbouring council...' 'and Merri-bek cats are contained all day long'. Melbourne's Agenda falsely printed that Stonnington Council has a cat curfew. Melbourne's Mayor reiterated untruths, and stated that he wants all Metropolitan 9 Councils to have uniform cat laws.
Melbourne Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation is an ongoing funder of the private Invasive Species Council which pushes Australian cat curfews. RSPCA's Rethink Roaming quotes the Invasive Species Council's false figures. The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald have reported on Invasive Species Council's plan to collar Victoria's 'threatened species' native dingoes, against their welfare, and without consulting First Nations. https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/dingoes-to-be-collared-in-contentious-bid-to-protect-sheep-20250401-p5lo8v.html The Invasive Species Council also pushes the use of the Felixer, using 1080 poison - known to also kill small native mammals, Wedge-tailed eagles, dingo pups, and pet dogs, torturously, in great agony.
Why does Friends of Royal Park want a cat curfew?
It is not irresponsible owners; it is irresponsible councils - making cat curfews which kill more wildlife - not less.
From APWF submission to Merri-Bek Council DAMP 2025-2029
'By directing resources like free desexing, support for semi-owned cats, and culturally appropriate outreach to identified hotspots (Spehar and Wolf 2019), the Council can humanely and efficiently reduce cat overpopulation and nuisance. ...
The Australian Pet Welfare Foundation (APWF) supports expanding Merri-bek’s efforts into a formal, targeted Community Cat Program, building on successful models like Banyule Council’s (Cotterell 2024). ...
Across Victoria, councils with 24/7 cat containment have seen increases in complaints, impoundments, and euthanasia, such as Yarra Ranges (+143% complaints) and Mornington Peninsula Shire (+60% impoundments in the latest DAMP). These trends show that containment laws raise unrealistic expectations but fail to address the root causes.
Australian Pet Welfare Foundation recommends that Merri-bek promote voluntary, low-cost strategies such as bedtime feeding to encourage night containment. In parallel, microtargeted community desexing programs, as implemented in Banyule (Cotterell 2024), have reduced impoundments by 66%, euthanasia by 82%, and complaints by 36%. These data-driven, supportive approaches offer a more effective, inclusive path to managing free-roaming cats.
Not all Victorian councils support the introduction of 24/7 cat curfews (Geelong, Bayside, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Melbourne). Several have voted against them, recognising that such measures are largely unenforceable ...The likely outcome is a surge in cat surrenders to already overburdened shelters, an outcome that benefits neither animal welfare nor public policy goals.
Cat Containment
The Australian Pet Welfare Foundation (APWF) supports keeping cats safely contained at night within their owner's property, ...However, we do not support mandatory containment laws, such as 24/7 confinement or night curfews, due to strong evidence that these measures are largely ineffective, ...Read our position statement https://petwelfare.org.au/2022/09/02/key-issues-to-consider-related-to-mandated-24-7-cat-containment/
Merri-bek Council’s own data confirms this. In a 2023 council meeting document relating to community consultation on a proposed cat curfew, it was reported that from October 2022 to October 2023, 942 cats were impounded at the Wat Djerring Animal Facility. Of these, approximately 93% were unowned, and 42% were kittens. Nearly 400 cats were euthanised and very few were reclaimed. The same report stated that 1,100 cats were transferred to rescue, a figure inconsistent with the total impoundment number, raising concerns about data transparency and reporting accuracy.'
Community Cat Programs: https://petwelfare.org.au/community-cat-programs
Video: Emeritus Professor Jacquie Rand at Getting to Zero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQbK3R36Xjg
Urban Cat Management in Australia—Evidence-Based Strategies for Success
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/8/1083 5.4. Benefits for Council and Welfare Agencies - Community Cat Program saved a Local Council one-million dollars over eight years.
Rethinking Urban Cat Management—Limitations and Unintended Consequences of Traditional Cat Management: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/7/1005
Australian Pet Welfare Foundation on cat containment: https://petwelfare.org.au/position-statements/cat-containment
Domestic cats and native wildlife: https://petwelfare.org.au/position-statements/domestic-cats
The Conversation: 'Australian shelters and pounds kill 50,000 mostly healthy cats and kittens in a year. There’s a way to prevent this pointless killing' 29 May 2023 https://theconversation.com/australian-shelters-and-pounds-kill-50-000-mostly-healthy-cats-and-kittens-in-a-year-theres-a-way-to-prevent-this-pointless-killing-201947
ABC News: University of Queensland study finds cats more likely to be euthanased for being stray than to die from disease 12 April 2025
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-12/stray-cat-management-trapping-desexing/105165002?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web&fbclid=IwY2xjawJqmyNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHuoAbpNGbYyeyTPoifoMgbi4cK2DP8qQ-d4bxDTcrN6xbF2fzQVOieF2tfl1_aem_dp5clVFaUY9sSaJ2T9YTfQ
Stray and Owner-Relinquished Cats in Australia—Estimation of Numbers Entering Municipal Pounds, Shelters and Rescue Groups and Their Outcomes: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/11/1771
Impacts of a Local Government Funded Free Cat Sterilization Program for Owned and Semi-owned Cats: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/11/1615
Poison laid for rats is killing many native animals. 'Ratsak is losing its bite: How to get rid of the rats in your ranks' https://www.theage.com.au/environment/conservation/ratsak-is-losing-its-bite-how-to-get-rid-of-rats-in-your-ranks-20250604-p5m4sm.html The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, June 10, 2025. Pest Management Science, May 30, 2025: https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.8936 Daily Mail UK, June 11, 2025: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14801193/rat-poison-resistant-sydney-perth-melbourne.html 'Second-generation rodenticides are so potent they are banned in the United States, Canada and the European Union.' 'The poison makes it way up the food chain and kills other animals in a huge risk to Australia's biodiversity.'