Cat owners in an Australian town will no longer be able to let their feline friends wander the streets at night under tough new laws.

The by-laws coming into effect early next year in Mount Barker, South Australia will mean cats must not leave their owner's property between 8pm and 7am.

Residents in the town 30km south-east of Adelaide will also no longer be allowed to own more than two cats - and will face stiff penalties if their cats cause a nuisance.

Cat owners in an Australian town will no longer be able to let their feline friends wander the streets at night under tough new laws (stock image)

Mount Barker's manager of health and safety Jamie Tann told The Messenger the move followed calls for the council to better control the movement of cats in the town.

'A lot of people have mentioned they want the council to play a role in cat management,' he said.

'We're allowing cats to roam for part of the day, but at night when they're most active and have the most impact on wildlife, we're expecting them to be kept inside.'

Owners will need to register their cats under the new plans, and the two-feline limit can only be exceeded if residents have a cattery or already have more than two.

The RSPCA has raised concerns the cat limit would stop people in Mount Barker from taking in strays, and said the council had not spelled out how they would enforce their laws.

But Mr Tann said council bosses already had a plan to catch cats who were causing a nuisance.

'We're not going to have someone running around picking up cats, but if someone says my neighbour's cat is repeatedly coming into my yard we'll have covert cameras we can set up in the yard,' he said.

Last month, a Darwin council banned cats from roaming the streets and ordered pet owners to keep them on a leash when outdoors.

And startling footage emerged recently of a cat casually killing a wallaby in Northern Territory bushland.

The by-laws coming into effect early next year in Mount Barker, South Australia will mean cats must not leave their owner's property between 8pm and 7am

Director of Terrestrial Ecosystems Dr Graeme Gillespie told Daily Mail Australia he posted the video to make people aware of the damage cats are doing to native wildlife.

'Cats are a huge problem in Australia,' he said.

'They're extremely efficient predators and can kill up to 30 or 40 native mammals and reptiles creatures in a single night.

'That would keep them full for around 24 hours, before they'd start hunting again.'