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:
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Community desexing programs that reduce stray and semi-owned cat populations
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Community education and support to encourage people to fully adopt and care for semi-owned cats
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Support for low-income households to fully adopt and care for semi-owned cats so families are not unfairly burdened
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Respect for community voices, ensuring consultation is genuine, transparent, and inclusive
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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. Cat curfews target only pet cats, not stray cats. 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.
Merri-bek's
Cat Curfew
Background
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 understand the problems with any type of mandatory curfew. We are encouraging residents and supporters to communicate their position and preferences to Council before October 16th.
Merri-bek's Cat Curfew
What can I do if I don't agree?
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:
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Fail to address the stray cat population. Most wandering cats are strays or semi-owned, and blanket curfews do nothing to contain them.
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Increase, rather than reduce, complaints, impoundments, and euthanasia.
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Put cats at risk of stress, obesity, health problems, and surrender.
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Unfairly penalise renters, pensioners, and low-income households.
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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, study or have another meaningful connection to 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.
Most Merri-bek residents still don’t know about the proposed cat curfew.
Help us get the word out before the Nov Council vote.
Donations fund flyers, posters and social media ads so locals know what’s at stake.
Even $20 helps us reach hundreds more residents.
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.
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Subject line: No to Cat Curfews in Merri-bek
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Use our Reason Generator below to copy the points that apply to you, write your own message, or combine both.
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Send your email to the Councillors (addresses provided below).
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Encourage your friends, neighbours, and community groups to do the same. Every email counts.
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
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, 6.15pm
📍 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
"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