SOUTH Essex animal charity workers say forcing cat owners to keep their pets indoors at night to protect wildlife wouldn’t work – and could lead to more cats being abandoned.

They spoke out after Rosie Catford, who runs an Essex animal rescue centre, suggested giving cats a curfew could halt the decline in hedgehog and bird numbers.

She thinks Britain should follow Australia and impose fines on owners who let their cats roam at night and kill vulnerable wildlife.

However, Bonita Boddie, animal coordinator for Southend RSCPA, which currently has 102 abandoned cats on its books, said owners would simply refuse to pay the fines.

She added: “Many people treat cats like rubbish in this country. Most wouldn’t pay the fines and would just dump the cats.

“They would think of it as a free service to pick up unwanted cats.

“Every day we have people calling us, saying they can’t afford their cat, or their child is allergic to it. This would be perfect for them to solve their problem.”

Neal Warren, secretary of Castle Point Wildlife Group, said a curfew would go against the very nature of cats. He explained “You have to bear in mind cats are wandering animals.

“You can’t confine them like you can dogs.Idon’t believe it would be workable.

“There are lots of other creatures which predate on small animals and birds.Ithink the effects would be limited.

“I understand where people are coming from, but all animals have a right to nature.”

Mr Warren suggested developers and planners needed to ensure new habitats were created when new homes were build.

He said his group also tried to encourage residents to make their gardens wildlife-friendly to help sustain numbers.

Explaining her suggestion, Miss Catford, who runs Wildlives Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, near Clacton, said it was estimated more than 275 million British birds, mammals and reptiles were killed by cats every year.

They were partly responsible for the decline in hedgehog numbers from 30 million to less than a million over the past 20 years