Cat Curfew in Australia
One of the hottest topics of board discussions on our cat forums is the issue of keeping cats indoors-only. Personally, I am on the view that it is up to us as owners to evaluate the risks where we live and make a decision based on that. I do agree that for the majority of cats, certainly those living in cities, this would mean indoors-only. However, I am not sure how I feel about the recent decision in a the town of Nillumbik, Australia, to impost a 24 hours curfew on cats. That means that cats will be indoors-only by law.
I couldn’t see any mention of feral cats – which makes me wonder if they have any, and if not, what happened to them. The story also doesn’t say what will happen to cats caught outdoors… Like the spokesperson of the Cat Protection Society there, I would be worried about the conditions in which cats will be kept indoors-only.
Yes, cats can live extremely happy and fulfilled lives indoors-only, but it does take some investment on the part of their humans, in creating an environment that offers them enough stimulation, and if possible, a cat enclosure as well. In a sense, I would expect a municipality that restricts cats indoors by law, to provide some feline “social services”, whereas trained workers will make house calls and inspections to make sure that the cats’ welfare and quality of life is satisfactory.
Tags: australia, enclosures, indoors-only
May 4th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
There’s a new city in Canberra which as part of the agreement of moving there, you must agree to keep any cats indoor only to protect the local wildlife, as the city is near protected habitats. I think it’s a great idea.
May 5th, 2008 at 4:34 am
As long as they make sure that owners know how to provide their cats with a balanced environment, suitable for keeping cats indoors-only, then I agree. I just think that when the local authorities intervene, it becomes their responsibility to monitor the conditions, or at the very least to provide guidance, so that cats don’t suffer.