The New Zealand city of Wellington is considering a curfew for pets that one campaigner describes as "serial killers":
Under the proposed regulations, domestic cats would be have to be kept indoors between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and households would be restricted to having a maximum of three feline pets.
Gareth Morgan, a philanthropist who has been campaigning for cat control measures for some time, is pushing the city to pass the regulations on the basis that cats kill local birds and other native animals, and that they "trespass" on peoples' homes. He argues that cats wander onto properties not owned by their owners around 40 million times a year in Wellington, based on a study from his foundation.
"They're not just heading out for a Sunday stroll for the hell of it. They're born to kill, these animals," he told Stuff.co.nz. "They're mini-tigers, really."
New Zealanders do own a lot of cats, actually: With about 1.4 million cats in total (something like half of all homes in the country own two cats on average), according to the news site.
It's been on the table for a while, but the Wellington City Council will actually discuss the proposals next week, Newstalk ZB reports. A similar proposal is also being considered in Auckland.