27-04-2025
New curfew rule to keep cats indoors 24/7: What you need to know
Cat owners could be faced with new laws forcing them to lock up their pets or risk hefty fines.
Fifteen NSW councils have signalled their support for changes to feline management laws in submissions to a parliamentary inquiry that is in its final stages.
The inquiry is examining whether current containment laws for pets, desexing programs and council management resourcing have been effective in controlling feral cat populations.
Blacktown City Council sought the power to implement round-the-clock cat curfews, as well as further resources and funding, from the state government.
'We again recommend amending the Companion Animals Act to prevent cats from roaming i.e. 24-hour cat curfew across NSW,' one submission from the council read.
'We recommend councils or other animal welfare entities be provided with funding for large scale incentive programs including desexing, microchipping, registration and subsidised cat containment initiatives.'
Lake Macquarie Council in the Hunter region also pushed for cat curfews and funding for desexing programs.
Narrabri Shire Council, in northern NSW, wanted the power to euthanise feral cats.
The Companion Animal Act currently prohibits individual councils implementing cat containments and curfews.
The councils said such powers would give them greater ability to control feral cat reproduction.
Northern Beaches, Willoughby City and Shoalhaven City are also among the councils who have suggested they would amend their cat ownership regulations in the Act amendments are approved.
Blacktown City Council said they wanted to ensure the council was preserving Australian wildlife.
'Council's Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre is inundated with cats and kittens all year round,' a spokesman told the Daily Telegraph.
He said local cats were breeding uncontrollably.
Advocacy director for the Invasive Species Council, Jack Gough, said Australians needed to change their perspective on cats.
'Cats are out killing millions of our native wildlife every day,' he said.
'People want action, councils want action. Right now there are no rules about cat containment, it's a free for all, cats can roam and no one can do anything about it.'
Earlier public submissions to the inquiry included accounts written by concerned local wildlife advocates.
'I live in an area bordering the Royal National Park, south of Sydney, which has particularly rich bird life,' one woman wrote.
'Both next door neighbours own pet cats, and neither are kept inside either during the day or at night. This is a big problem.
'We have worked hard to make our property a haven for birds, particularly small birds like fairy wrens, and whipbirds but the neighbours' cats stalk the birds in our garden and there's nothing we can do about it.'
Another suggested harsher rules would help educate the public on the dangers cats pose to native animals.
'Implementing a curfew on cats is the first step in changing the general public view to be more aware of the damage cats cause to the native wildlife,' he wrote.
Cats kill about 300million native animals each year in Australia, according to the Invasive Species Council.
An estimated 1.6million cats live in NSW, while there are a total of 4.9million in the country.
Some submissions from the public, however, said it would be unjust to force owners to lock up their pets.
'I am very concerned about the cruelty to cats in our community and it is easy to see that blaming them for the killing of wildlife encourages this cruelty,' one woman wrote.
'Research has shown that cats are not the biggest threat to wildlife, that in fact human activity is the leading cause of extinction.'
'We must prioritise caring for cats kindly, humanely and never forgetting they love their family, their friends - the bonds they build are strong, breaking up a loving family is not on,' another submitted.
