A cat curfew

The Dom Post reports:

A curfew on pet cats has been proposed for Wellington suburbs to protect native wildlife.

The idea was floated by Geoff Simmons, of the Morgan Foundation, to Wellington City Council’s environment committee at a meeting on Thursday.

It would mirror measures in several suburbs of Canberra and Sydney where, ironically, they were introduced to protect possums. Cat owners pay a hefty fine if their animal is caught off their property between set hours.

This would mean basically locking your cat in at night, as a cat can get over pretty much any fence they want to.

Cats needed to be managed in a similar way to dogs, and the pest-management strategy should reflect that, he said. “All we want is responsible pet ownership.”

Dogs generally can not get out of a fenced section. Cats can. And having your cat locked in means you need a permanent indoor litter box for them. Also what if your cat doesn’t turn up to dinner by curfew – you then get fined. It’s a daft idea.