General News
22 May, 2023
Cat curfew coming to Hepburn shire felines
A new cat curfew will be introduced in the Hepburn Shire in a bid to reduce risks to wildlife following overwhelming support from the community At its council meeting last week, Hepburn Shire Council endorsed the introduction of the dusk to dawn cat...

A new cat curfew will be introduced in the Hepburn Shire in a bid to reduce risks to wildlife following overwhelming support from the community
At its council meeting last week, Hepburn Shire Council endorsed the introduction of the dusk to dawn cat curfew, after 90 percent of residents were in support of the move.
From July 1, cats must be securely confined to the owner’s property between 6.30 pm and 6.30 am during non-daylight savings hours, and from 8.30 pm to 6.30 am during daylight savings.
A key action of council’s Domestic Animal Management Plan, Hepburn Shire mayor Brian Hood said the decision was informed by community feedback.
“Throughout the community consultation there was strong support for a cat curfew, with 90 percent of the 450 respondents in support of a curfew,” he said.
“We know our community loves their pets. The curfew will help to reduce the risks associated with allowing cats to roam outdoors between dusk and dawn.
“Keeping cats indoors at night will reduce the chance of them breeding, fighting, becoming injured or killing wildlife.
“Organisations including the RSPCA and the Cat Protection Society of Victoria are supportive of curfews and many Victorian councils have already introduced these types of curfew measures.”
Curfew enforcement activities will commence from the beginning of July, in line with the process already applied to wandering dogs.
This will include education for cat owners of responsible pet ownership requirements, issuing warnings and notices to comply where appropriate and issuing infringement notices to offenders where appropriate.
According to council, the infringement amount will be one penalty unit for the first offence and three penalty units for the second or subsequent offences. A penalty unit is currently $184.92.
“Ensuring cats are registered with council and contained within an owner’s property at all times is not just responsible, but a requirement under the Domestic Animal Act,” Cr Hood said.
“The dusk until dawn curfew is a good further step as we move towards the 24-hour containment of cats by 2025.”
All cats over three months of age must be microchipped and registered. If a cat is found wandering during curfew hours and it is not registered, owners will be required to register it before it is released.
“Registration is free for the first 12 months and will help you be reunited with your furry friend should it go missing,” he said.
Resources to assist in transitioning your cat to remain indoors or in an outdoor enclosure at night can be found at the Safe Cat website, with some simple methods including:
• Feeding your cat indoors at night
• Keeping your cat indoors for increased periods of time after they have eaten
• Providing a warm, dry bed
• Installing a cat run, cat enclosure or cat-proof fencing so your cat can roam safely on your property
For more information on the curfew visit www.hepburn.vic .gov.au/cats