WILDLIFE KILLERS? Cats' nighttime activities could be curtailed if a proposal to set a curfew for pets goes ahead.

A curfew on pet cats has been proposed for Wellington suburbs to protect native wildlife.

The idea was floated by Geoff Simmons, of the Morgan Foundation, to Wellington City Council's environment committee at a meeting on Thursday.

It would mirror measures in several suburbs of Canberra and Sydney where, ironically, they were introduced to protect possums. Cat owners pay a hefty fine if their animal is caught off their property between set hours.

Simmons went further and proposed live-trapping in some places, with only those animals that were microchipped being returned to their owners.

He was making a submission on the council's Our Natural Habitat biodiversity management plan. He praised its vision but said no proposal to protect native species could ignore cats, no matter how controversial the issue had become. "We know domestic cats alone are in cities in such densities that they can kill native birds faster than the birds can breed," Simmons said. "Lizards are particularly vulnerable at night, when it's cold."

Owners needed to admit to themselves that it was in their pets' nature to kill wildlife.

Cats needed to be managed in a similar way to dogs, and the pest-management strategy should reflect that, he said. "All we want is responsible pet ownership."

Cat curfews in sensitive wildlife areas, compulsory microchipping and registration, raising kittens to be indoor cats, and making pets wear bell collars could help protect wildlife while allowing cat-lovers to keep their pets.

Lower Hutt's council is already investigating mandatory microchipping and registration of cats.

"Realistically, this is a process of cultural change."