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A Cat Curfew Has Been Introduced In Australia

Cat curfew introduced australiaPA

Weve all heard of curfews for kids, whether its because theyve been naughty or for their general safety.

But have you ever heard of a curfew for cats, because that would seem just a little bit ridiculous. How would you ever go about enforcing it?

One council in Australia seems to have missed this slight detail though, because theyve introduced a cat curfew in the hope theyll be able to crack down on the nuisance behaviour of the animals.

CatPixabay

Residents of Mount Barker near Adelaide will now face penalties if their cats are found roaming the streets at night after the local council passed the new regulations, The Guardian reports.

The new by-laws will limit the number of felines per property to two, as well as introduce a curfew of between 8pm and 7am. Owners of cats caught outside during these hours will face penalties, and might also have to undergo covert surveillance if their cat is a suspected nuisance.

Mayor Ann Ferguson said the crackdown was a result of an outcry from the community about the behaviour of local cats, after the animals were caught defecating on peoples properties, fighting in the garden, and killing wildlife.

The mayor explained:

We had a lengthy consultation over a month and received over 500 responses, so it was obvious that people are quite passionate about cats roaming the streets.

Cats fightingPixabay

Ferguson said 73 per cent of people supported the council addressing the behaviour of cats, with 71 per cent supporting a curfew and 68 per cent supporting the limit of two cats per property.

She also made clear that – as a cat lover herself – the new rules are not aimed at vilifying the animal, adding: There are more people out there who love cats and tolerate cats [than hate them].

The mayor said they were still working through the details of what the penalties will be for owners whose cats break the curfew rules – although the council is considering conducting covert surveillance on cats suspected to be breaking curfew.

Mount Barker is not the only town in Australia to introduce tough new regulations; as per The Guardian, the council in Gawler has proposed by-laws which will give them the power to seize, detain and destroy any cat caught roamiRead More – Source

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