In short:
Wyndham Council will tomorrow debate a draft plan proposing a 24/7 cat curfew across the municipality. The move follows strong community feedback on nuisance cats and will now go to public consultation if approved.
Wyndham Council considers stricter curfew
Wyndham City Council will tomorrow night consider placing its Draft Domestic Animal Management Plan 2025–2029 on public exhibition, with one of the most notable proposals being the introduction of a 24/7 cat curfew across the municipality.
Currently, cats in Wyndham are subject to a night-time curfew between 10pm and 6am. Under the new draft plan, cats would instead be required to remain on their owners’ properties at all times, mirroring restrictions already applied to dogs. Council officers say the shift would reduce nuisance complaints, protect native wildlife, and improve community amenity.
The draft plan has been shaped by community consultation held in May 2025, which attracted 1,028 responses. Of those surveyed, 37 per cent said they owned cats, 70 per cent said they owned dogs, and just under 10 per cent reported owning neither. When asked about the existing night-time cat curfew, only 28 per cent believed it was effective, while more than half reported issues with cats trespassing or being out after hours.
WyndhamTV Poll
The plan outlines measures to support pet owners in adapting to the change, including education on affordable cat enclosures, advice on transitioning outdoor cats indoors, and the ongoing provision of free cat traps to address stray and nuisance cats.
In addition to the cat curfew, the draft plan proposes broader improvements to animal management, including:
stronger efforts to lift registration compliance;
continued desexing incentives and rescue partnerships;
education campaigns on responsible pet ownership; and
stricter enforcement of dangerous and menacing dog regulations.
If councillors approve the draft tomorrow, it will be released for a four-week public consultation period, giving residents another chance to provide feedback before final adoption later this year. The plan is due to be submitted to the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action by December 2025.
