Over the last 20 years, we are seeing more and more indoor only cats and the days of cats wondering around have changed considerably with curfews or restrictions being put in place depending on where you live. Big cities like Melbourne and Geelong have dusk to dawn curfews and you can be fined by your local council for not adhering to this. There is also a large number of feral cats roaming around the shire.
A popular Estate in Torquay has banned residents owning cats because of the danger they represent to the wild life, particularly birds and whilst we can understand their point of view this wouldn’t be our choice. The Surfcoast also has rural areas where farm cats can roam free and are not subject to a curfew, this certainly helps to keep rodent numbers down but may come as a surprise to people living in Melbourne.
With the rise in popularity of high density living, more and more people are living in high-rise apartments with their fur babies. Cats are fairly good at adapting to their environment and as long as you provide regular stimulation and interaction there is no reason cats can’t be indoor only. Certain breeds are less active than others and may find a confined space less of an issue and would suit inner Melbourne or apartment living.
Geelong is mostly residential blocks so if you want to keep your fur baby on your home turf only, building a ‘Catio’ in the back yard for indoor/outdoor fun is a fantastic idea, giving them the best of both worlds. Although Geelong is now starting to see more high rise living, it is far from the high density living of Melbourne and probably will be for some time to come.
Of course not everyone in Melbourne is living in a high rise and the suburbs stretch further than the eye can see, so life can be very different for a cat from one end of Melbourne to the other. Some great ideas we have come across for cats living in an apartment or high-rise living have been obstacle courses mounted on walls and huge climbing castles, tunnels, perches and even bridges stretching from one wall to another, boxes with hidy holes hanging from ceilings, it’s amazing!
It really doesn’t matter where you live. Geelong, Melbourne, Torquay or on a farm, cat lovers will still find a way to make the surroundings for their fur baby as comfortable, stimulating and interactive as possible to make life as happy, safe and as fulfilling as possible.