Closing the loop

Night-time curfew adopted

Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback as we explored a possible cat curfew for Glen Eira. We appreciate the time and thought the community contributed to this discussion.

Council adopted a night-time cat curfew at its Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday 5 November 2025.

What we heard

During engagement in June 2025, we received 3,038 submissions, with 68 per cent supporting a curfew.

  • 60 per cent of cat owners supported a curfew
  • 86 per cent of non-cat owners supported a curfew.

The top reasons were:

  • Protecting wildlife
  • Keeping cats safe

Some residents preferred a 24-hour curfew, while others raised concerns about the cost, practicality and uncertainty about change. In response, we opted for a night-time curfew as a fair and balanced approach that works for most households.

See the image below for a snapshot of what we heard, or read the engagement summary report.

Cat curfew engagement summary We heard from 3,038 community members during engagement in June 2025. Here’s what you told us: Preferred curfew type Night-time only: 37% Reasons included protecting wildlife, reducing roaming, and balancing freedom with s

What happens next?

  • Night-time curfew, what this means

    Under the new curfew, cats must stay on their owner’s property between 7pm and 6am.

    A 12-month transition period will help owners adjust and prepare their cats for the change.

    Read more 

  • Helping the community adjust

    The next 12 months will focus on education and support. During this time, we will:

    • Share advice on building safe outdoor enclosures and keeping cats happy indoors
    • Run community workshops and provide online resources
    • Work with animal welfare groups to promote affordable microchipping, desexing, and containment options.

    Enforcement will be complaint-based and focused on repeat or serious cases. Any cat found roaming at night will be safely returned home with information about the curfew.

    Read more 

Community engagement

Cat curfew for Glen Eira?

We're exploring ways to make our area safer, more liveable and more biodiverse. As part of this, we’re exploring the idea of introducing a cat curfew — and we want to hear what you think.

This is your opportunity to help shape our future approach to cat management in Glen Eira. Whether you’re a cat owner or someone passionate about wildlife protection — Have your say by Sunday 29 June 2025.

What are the options?

We’re still exploring this idea and would like your feedback. We’re asking your input on three possible approaches:

  • 24-hour cat curfew 🕰️

    Cats must stay on their owner's property at all times.

  • Night-time curfew 🌛

    Cats must stay on their owner’s property from sunset to sunrise.

  • No curfew 🐈

    Continue with the current approach, allowing cats to roam freely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are we talking about this now?

In Glen Eira, we love our pets. In fact, more than 5,000 people in Glen Eira have registered cats. The vast majority of these cats are in loving, responsible homes and well cared for. Below are some of the reasons we're now considering a cat curfew.

  • Following the lead from other councils

    We’re exploring cat curfews because because they have been shown in other parts of Victoria, Australia and the world to keep cats and other animals safe, while also making neighbourhoods feel safer and more liveable. In our neighbouring councils like Port Philip and Bayside, cat curfews are already in place.

  • Keeping cats safe

    Cat curfews keep cats safe from traffic accidents, fights or unwelcome encounters with other animals, or exposure to harmful diseases, especially overnight. This means curfews have been shown to lead to longer, healthier lives for cats.

  • More liveable communities

    We also think a cat curfew could help create more liveable communities, which we know is a priority for Glen Eira residents. When left to roam outside, especially overnight, cats have been found to dig up gardens, create nighttime noise, and in some cases even impact or fight local wildlife. In 2023, more than 80 cats were impounded in Glen Eira. Cat curfews have been found to help protect native birds and small animals, helping to preserve biodiversity.

Have your say

Community engagement is open until Sunday 29 June 2025.

Have your say by:

  • 📝Completing the survey below — The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete.
  • 📞Calling to speak to a member of the community engagement team on (03) 9524 3333.
  • 📩Emailing your feedback to engagement@gleneira.vic.gov.au.

You can also request a hard copy of the survey form to be posted to you.  To request this, contact us at (03) 9524 3333 or email us at engagement@gleneira.vic.gov.au.

Privacy collection notice

Glen Eira City Council is committed to protecting the personal information provided by you in accordance with the principles of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). The privacy collection notice explains the purpose for which information is collected, and how we will use and handle the information. You can view the privacy collection notice for this project here: Privacy Collection Notice.