The number of feral cats is estimated to be double the number of pet cats. Photo:
New Zealand is home to more than double the number of feral cats as beloved pet ones, which is posing issues on farm.
Lincoln University Masters student Natalie Blackstock said there are an estimated 2.4 million feral cats in New Zealand compared to 1.2 million pet cats, and about 200,000 stray cats.
Blackstock described their impact on native wildlife as especially "significant".
"They do a lot of impact conservation-wise. They threaten our native birds and mammals," Blackstock said.
Her recent dissertation explored 2275 public submissions in relation to five councils' cat management bylaws, including Selwyn, Tasman, Palmerston North, Whangārei and Wellington.
She found that different regions had different concerns. For example, those in more rural areas, such as Selwyn and Palmerston North, were more concerned about cats' ability to spread diseases such as toxoplasmosis to livestock.
"In Wellington, people weren't as concerned about toxoplasmosis or livestock risks because obviously a lot more urban. Whangārei has quite a bit stray cat population so they were talking a bit more about that."
She also found most submitters supported cat bylaws, suggesting the country could be ready for a National Cat Act covering the basics - like microchipping, registration and desexing. Councils would still be free to develop their own bylaws addressing local issues.
While such an Act was shelved, Green Party MP Celia Wade Brown put forward the Domestic Cat Microchipping Bill which proposes all domestic cats being microchipped and registered.
Federated Farmers pest management spokesperson Richard McIntyre said such a law would help put the onus back on owners and help council's better assess if a cat was a pet or not.
He said the numbers seemed to be increasing with people dumping cats and kittens in rural areas.
"They are a real challenge to eradicate as well. They're very cunning and harder to trap or shoot than other pests like possums or rabbits.
McIntyre wanted to see see councils investing more in pest management, a challenge as many struggle for funds. He said councils were "vital" when it comes to managing pest species.
He also wanted to see more resourcing for cat control on farm and on DOC land.
"Cats are a bit of a tricky topic because, obviously, there are urban cats and to put them into a pest management plan has not always been that popular, but we think councils need to put some effort into this space so that they can treat feral cats in the same way they treat rabbits and possums."
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