24 hours cat-curfew

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Araminta
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24 hours cat-curfew
timmo
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Yes, I heard about this on the radio yesterday.

As a cat owner, I think it's a good thing, though it may be hard to adjust for cats that have been free to roam up till now.

The question is whether it will be obeyed and enforced. Brisbane City Council has a night-time curfew for cats, but it doesn't stop roaming neighbourhood cats in my street at least. Either people don't know about it, or don't care about it.

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

Lachlan
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frown Good luck to the council... I very much doubt it will be obeyed. I think a 24hr ban is overkill; interesting it got over 20% more support than a more moderate nightime curfew. 

Personally, I think a curfew of this kind is rather pointless. It is only enforced on public land; people can let their cats roam free in their yards as much as they want- "Those in favour said cats should have the same restrictions as dogs and other pets, which cannot roam the streets unchecked". It will not really help native wildlife, as most damage it is done by feral cats rather than domestic cats. Hence, futile and pointless... Just a PR move by the council to appease the residents. 

timmo
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Lachlan wrote:

It will not really help native wildlife, as most damage it is done by feral cats rather than domestic cats.

While I understand you saying this, I'm not sure that this would necessarily be true in a peri-urban setting (nor am I saying that it's not... just that it's an unsubstantiated claim).

The other thing is that feral and domestic cats are not different species - any lost pet can become a feral, so a 24hr curfew may reduce this.

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

Night Parrot
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Having lived close to Sherbrooke forest, this move gets my vote. Maybe people are gradually getting more conscious of the environment and more responsible. There's hope yet.

Lachlan
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Logic, Timmo... Domestic cats spend more time sleeping during the day than feral cats. Plus, many (although, sadly not all) owners keep their cats inside at night anyway. Add a constant food source, which can decrease predation rates (although not always), effort to stop them hunting wildlife (bells, attention etc) and lower concentrations of wildlife. A domestic cats just gets less chances to catch wildlife.

A curfew won't decrease the incidence of domestic cats going feral much. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that whilst some of the interchange between the two population is accidental, much is simply negligent and uncaring human behaviour. Rather than putting effort into a curfew, the council should be offering incentives for people to desex their pets and not allowing people to acquire new pets unless they buy either an (expensive) permit or desex them.

I would like to point out that the same should go for dogs; people shouldn't be allowed to own them unless they breed them or desex them. Dogs do just as much damage to the environment as cats, but people always shy away from confronting the topic. 

Woko
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I support anything, including a constant curfew, which creates a culture whereby cats are contained & curtailed. It's heartening to see the support for cat controls so perhaps there are the beginnings of a culture whereby it will become passe for people to have cats as pets - just so long as they don't decide to abandon them once they feel it's no longer the thing to do to own one or two or more.

I note that the Yarra Ranges Council is yet to decide on penalties for folk who allow their cats to break curfew. There are severe penalties for those who commit homocide. Shouldn't there be severe penalties for those complicit in ecocide?

Night Parrot
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And not only severe penalties for those who kill gay people, but those who kill people of all persuasions. (Sorry Woko, I couldn't resist taking the p---) smiley

richman

Although I am friendly to and quite like cats and dogs, I refuse to own either as IMO there are way too many. It would be much more apt to have Australian native animals as pets. Obviously there aren't the quantities of domesticated native (ex)wildlife to compare to the amount of domesticated cats and dogs but over time that could vary if the willingness was there. I notice that many more Americans have Australian wildlife as pets than do we, as our laws don't allow it. It might be an idea to change this to help with some species who are being forced to extinction.

I might also add, I would find it hard to place a curfew on a loved animal and even harder to imprison one in a cage or flat with no company.  

doublebar
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Guys, I can't wait until cats get outlawed, my yard is crawling with cats at night, I'm actually thinking of trapping them and taking them to the pound, they're getting as bad as the dreaded Indian mynah, I wish they would feed on rats and mynahs but they don't, they only feed on native birds and animals, totally useless. The other day I found the head of a fairy wren on the lawn, I bet I know who the culprit was.

For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.

Woko
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Highly likely, doublebar. And how infuriating & dismaying it is.

A cat trap might well be a useful addition to your anti-cat arsenal. Best make it a communal trap.

Night Parrot
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Channel 10's "The Project" (6:30pm - 7:30pm) is advertising that it will do an item on cat curfews this week.

fladdle
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(Good one!)

Night Parrot
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Good one fladdle? Some people use that phrase as sarcasm but I guess in your case you are saying The Project discussion was actually good? I missed it and although it probably wasn't too in-depth I wanted to see it. Did anyone watch?

fladdle
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Sorry - no I didn't see it. I had tried leaving a comment on the "homocide" exchange but my reply didn't appear under the gentle joke but under The Project alert. No sarcasm intended. 

Araminta
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Sorry fladdle, I don't understand a word you are sayingcrying is that some kind of joke I don't get, because I don't watch TV?

M-L

fladdle
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No, nothing to do with watching TV. If you read this whole thread you'll see what I was trying to comment on - something that Night Parrot said above.

 blush *Feeling sheepish*

rawshorty
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Shorty......Canon gear

Canberra

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/ 

Night Parrot
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Yes now I understand fladdle. Good one. smiley

Night Parrot
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Thank you very much Shorty. About what I expected; light and fast. Good for Steve. There are a lot of things the item prompts me to say but I'll retrain myself on this occasion. The first (pro-cat) lady on camera was again what I would have expected, judging by what I could see of the sterility of her back yard and the trespassing of her cats. I wonder why people settle in bush areas then proceed to do whatever they can to de-naturise their surroundings. Why not choose a nature void in the first place and save the bother.

Woko
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Spot on Night Parrot.

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