Nuisance animals

Cats

Neighbourhood cats

We encourage owners to keep their cats on their property, particularly between dusk and dawn. About 80% of accidents involving cats occur at night. This is also when they are most likely to hunt native wildlife.

If a neighbourhood cat is frequently entering your property and causing issues:

• Speak to the owner if you know who they are. Alternatively, use our sample note to contact them.
• If it can't be resolved this way, contact us to request a cat trap.
• If the problem persists, provide your address for us to issue the owner with a Notice of Objection. Repeat issues could result in the owner being fined.

Stray cats

It is against the law to keep a found cat.

Feeding stray cats without taking responsibility for desexing them increases the problem. You can help by arranging for the stray cat to be desexed.

Alternatively, contact us to request a cat trap. Cats must be contained before we can collect them.

Cat traps

Traps work by attracting cats with food. Once the cat enters, the trap closes automatically.

Use our contact form or call us on (03) 9278 4444 to request a free cat trap. You can collect it from our Camberwell council office and keep it for 2 weeks.

1. Set traps overnight (Sunday to Thursday) and check them each morning. Close traps during the day. Don't set traps in harsh weather.
2. If a cat is caught:
   • keep the trap shaded in summer or sheltered in winter. Provide fresh water if needed.
   • call us on (03) 9278 4444 during business hours to arrange collection by an Animal Management Officer.

We are unable to collect cats after hours, on weekends or public holidays.

Stray dogs

It is against the law to keep a found dog. To report a stray dog: 

1. Call us immediately on (03) 9278 4444.
2. Provide details including the dog’s location and whether it is contained.

If the dog has a registration tag, provide the tag number and we'll contact the owner. (We cannot share owner or caller details due to privacy laws.)

If the dog doesn't have identification, an Animal Management Officers will collect the dog if it is contained. Dogs must be contained before we can collect them. Alternatively, you can take the dog to the RSPCA at 3 Burwood Highway, Burwood East.

Barking dogs

Nuisance barking is defined as persistent barking that unreasonably interferes with the peace and comfort of others. 

Before contacting us, we encourage you to talk to the dog owner. It's possible that the dog only barks when the owner is not at home, or that the owner isn’t aware that the barking is affecting others. In most cases, approaching the dog owner in a friendly way and sharing your concerns can fix the issue.

If you can’t speak to the dog owner or feel uncomfortable approaching them, you can write to them instead.

Use our Sample note for contacting a dog owner or write your own letter with details about the days and times of the barking. 

It may take some time for the owner to correct the dog’s barking – they may be trying to re-train their dog to help the issue. It’s important to keep an open conversation with your neighbour about their progress.

When to try mediation

If talking to the dog owner doesn’t fix the issue, you can try mediation.

Dispute Settlement Centre Victoria provides free services to help resolve disputes or conflict. Find out more at Dispute Settlement of Victoria website. 

When to report the barking to us

You can contact us after recording 7 days of barking in a barking dog diary, available for download below. Submit a Report a barking dog form online and attach your diary.

What happens next

An Animal Management Officer will contact you to verify the information in your 7-day diary. They may ask you to complete a more detailed 14-day barking dog diary. 

They will inform the dog’s owner and give them 21 days to address the issue.

If the issue persists, we may take legal action under the Domestic Animals Act 1994. This can result in fines, good behaviour bonds, training requirements, or, in serious cases, removal of the dog.