Nuisance cats and barking dogs

If your neighbour’s dog is barking excessively, firstly try politely talking to your neighbour about it as they may not be aware of the problem, especially if their dog is only barking when they aren’t home. If you're not comfortable approaching your neighbour, you can take the following steps:

1. Try placing an anonymous letter into their letterbox, or post it to them.

2. If your neighbour still takes no action to stop the barking, we recommend the Dispute Settlement Centre, which provides free advice to help neighbours sort out problems. Visit the Dispute Settlement Centre website or call 1800 658 528

3. If you still can’t resolve the problem with your neighbour, we ask that you keep a detailed diary for a minimum of two weeks to record how often the dog is barking. This allows us to determine whether the barking is causing an unreasonable disturbance.

4. Once you've completed the diary, mail it to us and we’ll investigate the issue. We can only investigate if you provide a completed two week minimum diary and your contact details. Your neighbour will not find out who made the complaint unless the matter cannot be resolved and proceeds to the Magistrates Court.

5. We may ask you to get support for your complaint from another neighbour who is affected by the barking dog. We may then issue a warning to the dog’s owner to stop the barking.

6. If the problem persists, further diaries will need to be completed. We may issue an infringement notice or proceed with legal action.

View dealing with barking dog booklet(PDF, 4MB)

We've introduced new confinement rules to keep cats safe and reduce conflicts. 

All cats must now stay within their owner's property unless under direct control when outside.

You can report a nuisance cat if you can identify where it lives. Call us on 03 9217 2170 to lodge your complaint. If you don't know where it lives, apply for a cat trap.

Apply for a cat trap

If a cat is trespassing on your property, you can apply for a cat trap to safely capture it.

Council officers can collect contained cats during business hours and might be able to verify the address of where the cat lives. 

Traps are provided free-of-charge for residents to use.

You can apply for a cat trap by calling 03 9217 2170.

If your dog or cat's behaviour is upsetting or annoying your neighbours, you need to take steps to alleviate the issue.

If we receive a complaint about your animal being a nuisance either by its noise or actions, we will give you an opportunity to resolve it, as well as suggestions and advice to help you control it.

Failure to assist with the reduction of barking or other nuisance behaviour from your pet may result in:

• receiving an on-the-spot fine of $200
• having to pay a court-imposed penalty of up to $2000
• adhering to a court-imposed order to stop the nuisance.

Find out more on the pet confinement page

Depending on why your dog is barking, you may need to consider the following approaches.

• Seek specialist advice from a registered dog trainer or veterinarian.
• Take your dog on more frequent walks and include it on family outings. Even if you have a large yard, dogs still need to socialise and experience the sounds and smells of walks outside.
• Find a designated off-leash dog park to give your dog a free run on a regular basis.
• Make the backyard environment more interesting.
• Provide your dog with toys and a large bone to chew - you can also stuff hollow toys with food.
• Give your dog access to your house through a dog door.
• Take your dog to obedience classes or undertake dog training.
• If your dog isn't comfortable being left at home alone for extended periods, consider hiring a dog walker or dog day care.
• Block the dog’s view of movement outside the property with solid fencing, shade cloth or hedging if the dog is barking at passers-by.
• Make sure your dog is in good health by getting a check-up at the vet.

Roaming cats can kill native wildlife. They can also annoy neighbours by spraying, fighting, yowling and digging up gardens.

Legally, cats must now stay within their owner's property unless under direct control when outside. If your cat is found off your property and not identified, it can be seized and impounded. If identifiable, you may have to pay a fine when reclaiming your cat.

Here are some suggestions to consider to help keep your cat from being a nuisance.

• Keep your cat in the house or flat with you, or in the garage or shed at night.
• Improve the environment for your cat so they don't get bored.
• Install cat proof fencing.
• Build or buy a cat enclosure for your yard.
• Train your cat to accept confinement within your home and yard.
• When training, skip the morning feed and call them in at night to be fed. Don't feed your cat until they come inside and your cat will quickly learn they won't get fed unless home by dusk. Once inside, don't let your cat out again until morning. You can gradually extend the time your cat spends indoors or in an enclosure. 
• Attach a bell to your cat's collar to protect local wildlife incase they do get out.

For more information, including guides on building your own cat proof fencing and enclosures, visit our pet confinement page or the the Agriculture Victoria website.

All cats three months of age and over must be registered with the Council and registrations renewed by 10 April each year. Your cat also needs to be microchipped and desexed before registration. Doing this will increase the chances of your pet being returned to you if lost, or found on someone else's property. 

Your cat's council registration tag should be attached to an elasticated collar or safety collar that breaks away if they get caught on something. 

Learn more on our microchipping page