Council has decided not to proceed with 24-hour cat containment, which would have required cats to always be confined to their owner’s property from mid next year.
This decision recognises the challenges that 24-hour cat containment would impose, particularly for older and low-income resident cat owners, as well as renters who may not be able to adapt their home to ensure their cat could not escape during the day.
Cats are still required to be confined at night, which means cats must be at home between 9pm and 6am during daylight savings. During the winter months (non-daylight savings period), cats must have an earlier bedtime of 6pm to 6am.
Cats that are kept safely at home, particularly at night, are at less risk of injury from cars, disease and other animals, and prevented from killing native wildlife.
