Cats
Cat curfew to start 30 September 2023
A new 24-hour cat curfew will start 30 September across the Surf Coast Shire. All cats within the shire will need to be confined to their owner’s premises, unless the cat is appropriately restrained.
Council adopted the revised cat curfew - formally known as a cat confinement order - at its March Council meeting. The curfew requires all cats within the municipality to be confined at all times to the owner's premises unless the cat is appropriately restrained.
Under the curfew, Council officers can seize cats found-at-large in any public area or outside their owner's property at any time, with owners having eight days to reclaim their cats.
The 24-hour curfew will replace the current one, which requires cats in urban-zoned areas to be securely confined to the owner’s premises between 8pm and 6am.
Keeping your cat safe and happy at home
The below guide is from RSPCA, advising cat owners on how to provide for their cat's welfare as well as help protect native wildlife by keeping their cat contained to their home, with safe outdoor access.
RSPCA guide to keeping your cat safe and happy at home(PDF, 1MB)
Animal Welfare Victoria also has information on:
Did you know? According to Animal Welfare Victoria, cats that are confined to your property live three times longer than those that are allowed to roam.
Cat cages
Cat cages are available for use free of charge for a two-week period. Please contact customer service on 5261 0600 to arrange delivery. Note: the borrower is responsible for the cost of replacement if the cage is lost or stolen whilst in their possession.
Under the Domestic Animal Act, cats-at-large can cost their owners a fee of 1 penalty unit for a first offence and 3 penalty units for further infringements.
Register your cats
All cats should be microchipped and registered and must wear a registration tag. This will help return lost and wandering cats to their owners.
More on pet registration
Roaming cats
Contact us on 5261 0600 to report cats roaming on public land. Our Rangers will deal with cats-at-large on Council reserves, and will refer reports of cats roaming on state-owned land to the responsible authority.