Councillors have resolved to adopt a cat control order to keep cats inside their owner’s property at nighttime at a public Council Meeting on Monday 27 July 2026.
The nighttime curfew was adopted with a series of other actions. Together, they’re aimed at:
- understanding more about general cat management in Boroondara through research
- encouraging responsible cat ownership, including cat registration, microchipping and de-sexing
- better supporting cat owners with managing their cats
- Better managing semi-owned and stray cats in the community
- protecting Boroondara’s wildlife and biodiversity.
You can view a recording of the meeting on Council’s YouTube channel and read the report here.
We know some cat owners already keep their cats inside at night. For these owners, the new curfew will not be a major change. However, for others this will be a significant change and we recognise owners and their pets will need time to adapt to the new curfew requirements.
For this reason, cats registered with the City of Boroondara on or before 9 April 2027 (whose registration has not lapsed) will not have the curfew applied to them.
Timeframe for curfew to come into effect
The cat curfew will take effect from 10 April 2027, providing cat owners in Boroondara with 8 months to:
