Wodonga Could Be Implementing A 24-Hour Cat Curfew

Your cat could be facing jail time with a new curfew in the works here on The Border.

Well, probably not jail time. But the streets of Wodonga could soon be cat-free zones, with initial statistics showing that from 400 responses to council's Talking Cats and Dogs survey, 62% of residents support a 24hr curfew, and 87% of cat owners don't have any concerns about keeping cats contained.

Wodonga council chief executive officer Mark Dixon said that roaming cats are a real issue, and that staff would be making recommendations to councillors following the release of the full survey statistics. 

"Early signs are good. Council has listened, council has gone out to our community and sought community views about extending the current curfew."

- Cr Dixon

At Monday night's community consultation meeting, Wodonga resident Jean Whitla called on council to implement a complete ban on cats being outside their owner's property, claiming that cats put themselves and wildlife at risk when allowed to roam.  

"There are few birds left in our parks because cats kill them during the day when they are free to roam. Yet birds control the bugs and insects that can cause human illnesses and can cause plagues."

- Mrs Whitla

The current cat curfew in Wodonga states that cats must be confined to their owner's property between 7pm - 7am each day. 

Owners can be fined if this curfew is broken, or if their cat is deemed a nuisance.

Find out what Tim & Jess think about the proposed curfew in the catch up below... 

Whatever the rules, we can all still agree on one thing, and that's how much we love our furry little friends.  

Let us know if you're for or against the curfew in the Facebook comments.