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New Domestic Animal Management Plan endorsed

The Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026–29 (DAMP) was endorsed at the November 2025 Council Meeting after two rounds of community feedback and Council discussions.

Across both rounds – the first focused on a cat curfew – we received 1,946 community responses.

In mid-2024, we asked whether you supported a cat curfew and why. The second phase explored views on a potential 24/7 cat curfew, mandatory cat desexing, and other actions planned for the next four years.

You can learn more about the key actions in the new DAMP and see what we heard in each phase in the snapshots below. Full engagement summary reports are available in the document library.

You can also view the Council Meeting minutes and livestream on our website.

Key DAMP actions and initiatives

There are several key focus areas in the endorsed Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29. Scroll across to learn more.
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  • Dusk-to-dawn (7pm-7am) cat curfew

    Introduce a dusk-to-dawn (7pm-7am) with consideration of a phased approach to a full 24/7 cat curfew, cat confinement order across Maribyrnong to support the welfare of domestic cats and protect the natural environment.

  • Improve desexing rates

    Compulsory cat de-sexing requirement accompanied by a subsidised program to assist low-income community members to have their cats desexed.

  • Training of Authorised Officers

    Increased focus on conflict resolution and people management skills to complement ongoing focus on animal management skills.

  • Promote responsible pet ownership

    Updated material with focus on current challenges & areas of community concern. e.g., wildlife protection and greater use of technology such as social media to communicate with the community.

  • Animal welfare improvements

    Increased focus improving adoption rates while recognising the challenges faced by homeless people in keeping their pets.

  • Registration and identification

    Expanded audit program with Central records to ensure all pets in the National register are also registered with Council.

  • Minimising nuisance

    Increased patrols combined with more proactive community engagement to deliver more effective communication outcomes.

  • Dog agression

    Use of data and research into dog attacks to identify options to reduce incidences of dog attacks in the community.

  • Funding

    Actively seek opportunities for grants to expand programs.

What you need to know about the cat curfew

The cat curfew aims to protect native wildlife, reduce nuisance issues, and promote responsible pet ownership. This phased approach balances community education, support for cat owners, and environmental benefits.

Draft DAMP engagement findings

Community engagement was undertaken in August and September 2025.

Read more about the findings below or download a copy of the Cat Draft DAMP Community Engagement Summary Report.

Cat curfew engagement findings

Investigating a cat curfew was listed as a key action in Council's Domestic Animal Management Plan 2021-25.

In June 2024, we asked the community for their views on the potential introduction of a cat curfew, specifically:

  • no curfew (no change)
  • an overnight curfew (sometimes called dusk to dawn)
  • full 24/7 curfew.

We received over 1,000 responses across our online survey and via email. Read more about the findings below or download a copy of the Cat Curfew Community Engagement Summary Report.

What we heard