New Zealand is home to around 2.4 million feral cats—more than double the number of pet cats, which sit at 1.2 million. The country also has about 200,000 stray cats. This growing feral cat population is causing serious concerns, especially in rural areas.
Natalie Blackstock, a master’s student at Lincoln University, has been researching the issue. She said feral cats have a “significant” impact on the environment, especially on native birds and mammals. “They do a lot of damage to conservation efforts,” she said.
In her dissertation, Blackstock analyzed 2,275 public submissions across five local councils—Selwyn, Tasman, Palmerston North, Whangārei, and Wellington—on cat management bylaws. Her findings showed that regional concerns varied. Rural areas, such as Selwyn and Palmerston North, were more focused on the risk of cats spreading diseases like toxoplasmosis to livestock. In contrast, urban areas like Wellington were less concerned with that issue, while Whangārei residents focused more on stray cats.
Most people supported cat bylaws, with many in favor of national rules covering microchipping, desexing, and registration. Blackstock believes New Zealand could be ready for a National Cat Act, allowing local councils to tailor policies to their needs.
Although a proposed National Cat Act has been shelved, Green MP Celia Wade-Brown introduced the Domestic Cat Microchipping Bill. This would require all domestic cats to be registered and microchipped.
Richard McIntyre, pest management spokesperson for Federated Farmers, supports the idea. He said it would make cat ownership clearer and help councils determine whether a cat is feral or owned. He also noted that more people are abandoning cats in the countryside, making the problem worse.
“Feral cats are hard to control,” McIntyre said. “They’re clever and more difficult to trap than pests like rabbits or possums.”
He urged councils to invest more in pest management and to treat feral cats like other invasive species. He also called for more resources to manage cats on farms and conservation land.
“Cats are a tricky issue,” McIntyre said. “But we need to treat feral cats seriously, just like we do with possums and rabbits.”
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