THE Kangaroo Flat Community Group says it would welcome a 24-hour cat curfew in Bendigo.
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Extending the curfew is one of the policies the City of Greater Bendigo is considering in its review of the Animal Keeping Local Law.
Residents are invited to fill out a survey on domestic animal management, which will be used to inform the review.
Kangaroo Flat Community Group spokeswoman Elaine McNamara said wandering cats were a problem in her suburb.
"People complain about them coming onto their property," she said.
"You've only got to walk around after a cat's been - I know here we have them digging up the garden.
"I feel that if you've got an animal, you love it and you keep it behind your property, not everybody's else's."
The issue of wandering cats and dogs was raised in a recent community meeting attended by 40 Kangaroo Flat residents and councillors.
Cr Lyons said at the time that people were concerned about the number of cats in the streets, many of which appeared to be strays.
"One of the concerns is the number of cats in the area that don't seem to have a home," he said. "We don't know whether they're feral cats or pet cats that aren't locked up at night."
Cr Peter Cox said that with Greater Bendigo having approximately 6000 registered cats and 20,000 registered dogs it was important people partook in the questionnaire.
“The city already has a curfew requiring cats to be confined from sunset to sunrise to help protect nocturnal species and reduce the time they are able to wander and create a nuisance.
“One of the questions being asked of residents is whether this control goes far enough or is 24-hour confinement – as is already in place for dogs – needed to better protect our native fauna and reduce nuisance issues."
People can fill out a hard copy of the questionnaire at the council offices in Bendigo and Heathcote or online at www.bendigo.vic.gov.au.