The owners of 88 cats have been issued with trespass notices and fines since the reinforcement of a cat curfew in Wyndham last year.
Under the curfew, cats are prohibited from being outside their owners’ property between 10pm and 6am. Cats are also banned from being in any public area.
Fines can be issued to owners if their cats trespass on someone else’s property outside the curfew hours.
Cats can be trapped by council rangers or members of the public.
In the past 12 months, the council has received 11 complaints about cats trespassing during curfew hours.
There are 5956 cats registered in the city.
A curfew was introduced by the council in April, 2000, but by 2009 no warnings had been issued.
At the time, the council said that was because it had no staff working during the curfew hours and roaming cats were not an issue for the municipality.
But the council voted to reinforce the curfew last June amid concerns about increases in feline AIDS and the impact cats were having on local wildlife.
Council chief executive Kerry Thompson said trapped cats were held at the council pound until their owners were found.
“The owner is then given an objection to trespass notice, which informs them that their cat was trapped outside their property, on private property, and the owner of the land objects to the cat being on their land,” she said.
Cat traps are available from the pound. The bond is $30 or $15 for pensioners.
Traps are free for the first week then cost $12.70 a week.
