Animal control officers in Bendigo are doorknocking to check for unregistered dogs and cats.

City of Greater Bendigo's Neville Zimmer said while animal registration renewals were due for payment in April there are registrations for 2450 dogs and 750 cats still unpaid.

“Because of the large number of dogs and cat registrations outstanding we are about to embark on a campaign to check why these animals haven’t been registered,” Mr Zimmer said.

All dogs and cats over three months old must be registered.

He said anybody found with an unregistered pet risks a fine of $244 for each unregistered animal they have.

“We are also asking people to contact us if they not longer have a pet which was previously registered so we can remove these animals from our records," he said.

He said there are advantages in making sure pets are registered.

“If your animal is registered you will be notified if it goes missing and is found by the animal control officers," he said.

“Registration fees also go towards services to respond to wandering dogs and dog attacks. This includes removal of aggressive dogs from the street.