BAYSIDE cat owners face stiff fines and their pets could be sold under tough new laws set to start in the New Year.

Residents are divided at the new local law, which will see moggies banished indoors by 9pm or owners slapped with fines of up to $2000.

The council has admitted cat traps will be set for felines that flout their curfews repeatedly and the owner will have just seven days to reclaim their pet before it goes up for adoption or sale.

Sandringham cat lover Rod Tattersall, who owns two cats, said the law was unfair to cat owners because, unlike dogs, cats did not always come inside when called.

He said elderly residents and people who finished work after the curfew would have trouble obeying the laws, and would end up being repeatedly reprimanded if they didn't shut their cat indoors all the time.

"You have got to be fair to the cat. To keep a cat in is fairly cruel," he said.

Bayside Council co-ordinator of local laws and investigations Ken Waxell said a 12-person working body had reviewed the new laws, which also dictate the mandatory desexing of kittens.

A cat protection officer hired to enforce the ban would mainly educate pet owners, Mr Waxell said, but would also be in charge of issuing fines and catching stray cats.

"The primary role is to educate the community how to control their pets, mainly cats," he said.

"Sometimes people might need advice on what is the best pet, they might be suited more to a goldfish than a cat, for instance."

First-time offenders will receive a $200 fine. But if a cat owner chose to contest it in court, the costs could rocket to $2000.

Mr Waxell said long-running cat curfew programs introduced by councils such as Mornington and Wyndham had been declared a success, with less wildlife being preyed upon by cats and fewer cats being lost or run over.

Brighton Beach cat owner Irene Kleeman applauded the plan, saying it protected her cat Puck from foxes.

She said cat owners should walk their pets on a lead, like she does with Puck.

"I take him for walks on his harness and lead him around the garden," she said.

Originally published as Council dogged on cat curfew