No cat curfew

Stuff reports:

The Wellington City Council has decided not to include a cat curfew in its new animal bylaw, but one councillor is still pushing to make microchipping moggies mandatory.

In May, city councillors voted to toughen up the proposed animal bylaw, suggesting compulsory microchipping, limiting the number of cats people could own, and putting a curfew on when cats could roam free.

But environment committee chairwoman Iona Pannett said on Friday that the curfew idea had been ditched, after public consultation.

We keep our cats inside overnight, and I think this is best practice. However unless your cats have grown up staying inside at night, it would be very challenging to introduce for current cats. Also cats can be very cunning – for example one of ours can get out when the cat door is on one way, by using his claws to pull the door towards him and letting himself out.

I do support compulsory microchipping. I think it is important a cat can be identified, so authorities know if it is a pet or a stray.

The proposed maximum of three cats per household was a daft idea.