A 24-hour cat curfew will come into force across the Alpine Shire from 1 July next year.

The restrictive new measure is part of council's Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) 2026-2029 which was unanimously approved by councillors at their June meeting.

The plan's adoption follows a public exhibition period during April which drew more than 130 public responses - 90 per cent of which were on the proposed cat curfew, with 75 per cent in support of the introduction.

Strong support drew on community concerns for the protection of native wildlife and amenity concerns regarding the impact of roaming cats.

While in the minority, cat owners against the introduction took issue with difficulties containing cats or constructing an outdoor enclosure, the impact on cat welfare from being contained, and also suggested just having a night-time curfew.

Questions were also raised about how the curfew would be monitored and enforced.

Council determined compliance will be monitored through existing local laws and animal management processes, including complaint-based responses and routine patrols.

Councillor Noah Tanzen asked for clarification whether there had been any consideration of a 12-hour cat curfew as opposed to 24-hour curfew?

"In undertaking a review initially, it was determined a 24-hour cat curfew would be preferable because it provided greater advantages, with regard to both wildlife protection and cat protection," council's director of corporate and community, Nathalie Cooke, told the meeting.

"Potential for a 12-hour cat curfew was something which did come back from community engagement, however the support for the 12-hour curfew was relatively low in comparison to the support for the 24-hour cat curfew."

Councillors were informed that the DAMP requires no further additional budget, as council will undertake this work internally.

The DAMP outlines council’s approach to managing cats and dogs over the next four years.

It's key priorities include:

- promoting responsible pet ownership and legal compliance;

- increasing registration and identification rates;

- reducing dog attacks and nuisance behaviour;

- managing overpopulation and reducing euthanasia rates; and

- strengthening education and community awareness programs.

From here, council will provide a copy of its Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-2029 to the Secretary of Victoria's Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA).

24-HOUR CAT CURFEW

It will require cats to remain within their owner’s property boundary at all times.

The curfew aims to:

- protect native wildlife, with roaming cats known to have a significant impact on local fauna;

- reduce nuisance behaviours, such as roaming, fighting, and unwanted breeding; and

- improve neighbourhood amenity and reduce disturbances for residents.