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Moggies of Merri-bek

For owners and lovers of cats in Merri-bek, campaigning for evidence-based humane policies.

Who We Are

Moggies of Merri-bek is an informed, local community of cat lovers, rescuers, and residents who believe in fair, humane, and evidence-based policies for cats, wildlife, and people.

 

We support responsible cat ownership - including desexing, microchipping, and education.  We do not accept that blanket curfews are in anyone's interest: not our cats, not their owners and not the City of Merri-bek in its efforts to manage stray cat populations.

Experience and evidence from other councils shows that cat curfews lead to more nuisance reports, more impoundments, more surrenders, and more euthanasia, while failing to address the real drivers of stray cat populations and biodiversity impacts.

 

Our focus is on solutions that work, and which are are backed by evidence:

 

  • Community desexing programs that reduce stray and semi-owned cat populations

  • Community education and support to encourage people to fully adopt and care for semi-owned cats

  • Support for low-income households to fully adopt and care for semi-owned cats so families are not unfairly burdened 

  • Respect for community voices, ensuring consultation is genuine, transparent, and inclusive

  • Evidence-informed policy that addressed the real threats to urban wildlife in the Merri-bek context, such as habitat loss and fragmentation

 

We’re here to ensure Merri-bek residents have access to balanced evidence, and to provide a supportive platform for them to express their voice in this important debate.

We are striving to ensure that our cats - and the people who love them - are treated with fairness and compassion.

The Truth About Cat Curfews

Cat curfews might sound simple, but the reality is more complicated. Evidence from other councils shows curfews often increase surrenders and euthanasia, create unfair burdens on renters and low-income households, and do little to protect wildlife. Effective solutions focus on desexing, education, and supporting responsible ownership - not punitive rules that backfire.

Cat

Merri-bek's
Cat Curfew

Background

In September 2025, Merri-bek Council proposed a drastic cat management policy; a 24-hour cat curfew directing that cats would not be allowed to leave their owner’s property.  Owners of cats found in breach of this will be faced with punitive measures, such as impoundment of cats and fines.

 

Community members rallied quickly against this heavy-handed proposal. At the September 10th Council Meeting, Councillors narrowly voted for a less stringent 12-hour overnight curfew.

This proposal is now open for public consultation until October 16th. There is a real opportunity for the Merri-bek community to communicate its preferences to Council, and to shape the outcome.

 

There are strong signs that coordinated lobbying by some interest groups is underway to encourage Council to revert to the planned 24-hour cat curfew.

 

Moggies of Merri-bek is working hard to ensure cat owners and lovers are aware of these proposed changes, and is encouraging residents and supporters to communicate their position and preferences to Council before October 16th.  A strong voice can prevent these punitive measures from being introduced; curfews can and should be rejected in favour of community education and desexing programs that promote responsible cat ownership, and which reduce stray and semi-owned cat populations.

Merri-bek's Cat Curfew

What can I do if I don't agree?

🏃 BUSY – Just the Top 3

🚀 ENERGISED – Go for all 5

1

Sign our Petition

Add your voice to many local residents calling for smarter, kinder approaches than cat curfews. Every signature shows Council that Merri-bek cares about fair, evidence-based solutions.

2

Vote 'No Curfew'

Council is now seeking public feedback. Submissions close 16 October 2025. We’ll guide you step-by-step on how to write and lodge yours.

3

Email Councillors

Show Councillors that the community is paying attention. Email them to say you oppose cat curfews and support fairer, evidence-based approaches.

4

Attend our Forum

Join our community forum to learn the facts, share your experiences, and connect with others who want practical solutions for cat welfare and wildlife protection.

Saturday 11 October, 10.30am Coburg Library

5

Turn up for the Council Vote

The final chance to show Councillors that the community does not support cat curfews, and residents care about fair, evidence-based policies.

 

Please join us, wearing red:
 

Wednesday 12 November, 6.30pm

Merri-bek Council, 90 Bell Street, Coburg

Sign Our Petition

Merri-bek Council wants to impose a 12-hour or even 24-hour cat curfew.

 

Cat curfews don’t work. They harm cats, hurt families, drain Council finances, and are unenforceable.

 

Why?

Cat curfews are not an effective strategy to reduce wandering cats because most wandering cats are strays with no owner to contain them. Research shows that overpopulation and wildlife pressures are driven by strays and semi-owned cats – not desexed, owned pets in urban homes. Yet Merri-bek is proposing restrictions that punish responsible cat owners while leaving the real issue unaddressed.

 

Curfews may sound like a feel-good solution, but in reality they:

 

  • Fail to address the stray cat population. Most wandering cats are strays or semi-owned, and blanket curfews do nothing to contain them. 

  • Increase, rather than reduce, complaints, impoundments, and euthanasia.

  • Put cats at risk of stress, obesity, health problems, and surrender.

  • Unfairly penalise renters, pensioners, and low-income households.

  • Undermine adoption of older or ex-street cats, who often cannot cope with confinement.

​

Merri-bek is replicating policies from regional and semi-rural councils with very different conditions, despite having no solid local data to justify the policy. Council has also relied on broad-scale research that measures feral cat impacts, not the realities of desexed urban pets in inner-city areas.

 

We, the undersigned, call on Merri-bek Council to abandon cat curfews of any length, and instead adopt community desexing programs for stray and semi-owned cats. Such programs are proven to reduce intake and euthanasia rates at lower cost.

 

More detailed, referenced reasoning can be found at moggiesofmerribek.com/catcurfewfacts.

Add your voice

Every voice makes a difference. You can sign this petition if you live, own property, work or study in Merri-bek.

 

What you need to include

Council requires your full name and full residential or work/study address (plus your signature) so they can verify you’re eligible.

Thanks for signing!

Check your inbox (or spam) for our email and mark us safe.

Privacy Statement
Personal information collected in this petition (name, address, and signature) is only used so that Merri-bek City Council can check that the people who sign are local residents or stakeholders. The petition will be submitted to Council in line with its governance rules and handled under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic).
 
Council’s policy is to publish only a redacted version of the petition in its agenda or minutes (i.e. without signatures or addresses). 
 
We may send you occasional emails to update you on the campaign’s progress. After the Council decision is made, we (as the petition organisers) commit to deleting your personal information within 3 months, retaining only your name and email address so we can contact you if the matter returns when the Domestic Animal Management Plan is next revised (every 4 years).
 
You can unsubscribe from updates at any time.
petition
submission

Make a Council Submission

  1. Whilst this page will help guide you and construct your arguments, you must use the official Council consultation page: Conversations Merri-bek.

    You will need to log in or create a free account.

  2. Select Start Survey about 3/4 of the page down.

  3. When you reach the question about cat curfews, choose No Curfew.

  4. Scroll down to “Would you like to make a submission about the draft Domestic Animal Management Plan?”

    This is your chance to explain why you do not support curfews.

  5. Use our Reason Generator below to help. Simply tick the reasons that apply to you, then copy and paste the text into the Council form. Feel free to flesh it out with further reasons that pertain to your situation.

  6. Submit your response and encourage your friends, neighbours, and local community groups to do the same. Every submission counts.

Reasons (tick all that apply to you)

Note: This tool helps you quickly construct your arguments, ready for you to copy and paste into the official Council Survey. As per the detailed instructions above, your vote will only count if you also submit through the official Conversations Merri-bek DAMP survey.

emailcouncillors

Email Councillors

Whilst the survey is the official consultation, it is ultimately Councillors who will vote in November to decide the fate of cat curfews. Show them that the community is opposed to this policy. Even a short email makes a real difference.

 

  • Subject line: No to Cat Curfews in Merri-bek

  • Use our Reason Generator below to copy the points that apply to you, write your own message, or combine both.

  • Send your email to the Councillors (addresses provided below).

  • Encourage your friends, neighbours, and community groups to do the same. Every email counts.

Reasons (tick all that apply to you)

Easy Option: Click the Launch Email App button above to open your default email program. The subject, recipients, and draft text will be pre-filled and ready to send.

 

Manual Option: If your email app does not open, simply copy the draft and paste it into a new email addressed to:
 

ESvensson@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; JIwasaki@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; LIrvin@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; APulford@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; CMiles@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; HPolitis@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; KTheodosis@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; HDavidson@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; NAbboud@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; oyildiz@merri-bek.vic.gov.au; SBolton@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

 

Subject: No Cat Curfew in Merri-bek

Attend our Forum

Come along to our Community Forum on Saturday 11 October, 10.30am at Coburg Library. Learn the evidence, share your own experiences, and connect with others who care about fair and practical approaches to cat welfare and wildlife.

 

This is a space for constructive conversation among residents who are concerned about cat curfews and want to explore humane, evidence-based alternatives. The forum is not a debate, but an opportunity to connect, listen, and build community.

Turn Up for the Council Vote

Nothing has more impact than turning up in person. Wear RED and join us at the Council meeting where the final vote will take place.

 

📅 Wednesday 12 November 2025, 6.30pm

📍 Merri-bek Council, 90 Bell Street, Coburg

 

Together, we can make sure councillors hear loud and clear: No to cat curfews.

Voices from the Community

Testimonial - younger man
"I adopted my cat from the RSPCA in 2012 and he is now 14. He had been re-homed many times because he cannot cope with being kept indoors, yet he has thrived with me enjoying his daily strolls. Blanket cat curfews risk more cats like him being surrendered or never adopted, leading to higher euthanasia rates, harming animal welfare, and unfairly punishing responsible owners."

Simon, Pascoe Vale

Want to share your story? Send us a photo and a few sentences at moggiesofmerribek@gmail.com

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