That’s the view of councillor Kat Bennett who is concerned that cat impounding in Wodonga has jumped dramatically in recent years.

In 2017-18, 242 cats were nabbed, compared to 264 in the previous financial year and 159 in 2015-16.

Cr Bennett noted the spike coincided with the number of traps issued by the council ascending from 155 in 2015-16 to 257 in 2017-18.

Wodonga has had a 7pm to 7am curfew for cats since November 1996 but it is difficult to police with rangers generally working in daylight hours.

“We have a curfew but we don’t have the number of local laws officers to enforce it,” Cr Bennett said.

She said that would inhibit the council’s ability to extend the curfew.

“We need to get better at promoting it,” Cr Bennett said, adding that more publicity should foster greater responsibility from cat owners.

Her comments to The Border Mail followed a review into Wodonga’s animal pound services being presented to this week’s council meeting.

The audit was sought by the council to assess the impact of the city’s pound closure and outsourcing to Lavington’s Canine Country Kennels in July 2016.

In his conclusion to the report the city’s team leader compliance Craig McClanahan deemed changes a success due to financial savings related to not having to build a new pound and less of a burden on the whole rate base by adopting a more user pays model for pet owners.

Councillor Ron Mildren said the audit showed it would be wrong for Wodonga to have its own pound again.

“To look at going back into operational pound facilities from our own resources would probably be a big mistake now,” Cr Mildren said.

“What we’ve got going here and what we can develop into the future in co-operation with Albury City and probably other municipalities around is a far better outcome and the services and the quality that we can provide is going to just continue to improve.”