A plan to enforce 24-hour domestic cat containment across the Macedon Ranges is now not expected to begin until 2029.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council voted to prolong introduction of the change by one year to allow residents more time to prepare.
Extending the time would also include investigation of options to ease the cost and improve compliance.
The move was part of the council’s decision to adopt the Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29 last month.
Cr Jennifer Anderson led the motion to push the timeframe forward following significant community feedback.
“My concern about bringing the cat containment in too soon, is that we did quite a lot of feedback and concerns from some residents about the cost, and the difficulty in doing it,” she said.
“There is the potential that they may decide not to have a cat, or perhaps that cat might even end up being dumped somewhere. We don’t want that to happen.
“I think we should bring in cat containment. It is difficult and it is different but (the way that we do that is really important).”
Cr Anderson’s motion also sought a review of the ‘For the Love Of Paws’ cat and dog education campaign.
While the motion gained majority support, Cr Daniel Young held some reservations about a later introduction due to environmental impact.
“I think the most vulnerable element that we’re talking about here is wildlife. There is extensive research that’s been done on the damage that cats do to native wildlife and it is absolutely horrific,” he said.
“I think this is far too late to be having this conversation and I think it should have been a long time ago that cats were contained to homes. I don’t think another year is going to be good enough for our environment and I suggest that we move on with this as soon as possible.”
The draft plan attracted more than 550 submissions across two rounds of community consultation earlier this year and a range of feedback.
Key themes included a call for more education around effective dog control/on-leash requirements/reducing nuisance behaviours in cats/cat containment, improved provisions for dogs and owners in public places, and support and concern for fenced dog off-leash areas.
In survey responses: 66 per cent of residents supported a 24-hour cat curfew, and 79 per cent supported the council introducing mandatory cat de-sexing.
Enforcement, lack of resourcing, dog waste management, pet registration incentives and wildlife concerns were also among the topics raised.
