The Far North District Council has taken a significant step towards addressing the region’s cat population issues by voting in favor of including cats in the Animal Nuisance Bylaw. This decision will pave the way for public consultation on the introduction of mandatory desexing and microchipping for pet cats in the district.
During a recent council meeting, a majority vote endorsed the inclusion of cats in the forthcoming Animal Nuisance Bylaw, which is yet to be drafted and opened for public input. This move grants the council authority to both seize cats and pursue legal action against individuals found to be in violation of the bylaw.
The pressing need for stricter cat regulations was highlighted by Sam Stewart, chairwoman of the Coast to Coast Cat Rescue trust, who shared revealing statistics about the feline population in the Far North District. Stewart reported that her rescue organization had taken in a staggering 1620 cats and kittens since April 2021. She pointed out that a significant portion of these cats were likely formerly owned but had either strayed, become lost, or were unwanted offspring of stray cats.
Deputy mayor Kelly Stratford added to the discussion, mentioning that the cat overpopulation problem was so severe that cats were being transported from the Far North to the South Island due to the region’s “out-of-control” feline population.
Uncontrolled cats can create a range of issues, including territorial fighting, road hazards, house intrusion, food theft, wildlife predation, and uncontrolled breeding. Moreover, they pose potential public health risks by using sandboxes and gardens as toileting areas, potentially spreading diseases like ringworm, fleas, or toxoplasmosis.
Stewart emphasized that rehoming unwanted cats and kittens in the Far North had placed an increased burden on rescue groups. She expressed support for regulations that would reinforce the efforts of rescue organizations and called for the implementation of mandatory microchipping and desexing, noting that such measures were part of a global movement.
While New Zealand lacks a national cat management plan, the Parliament’s environment select committee has recommended the creation of a national framework that includes mandating the desexing and microchipping of companion cats.
In a related development, the Whangārei District Council amended its Animal Bylaw in May of the previous year, making it mandatory for all companion cats in Whangārei to be desexed and microchipped by the age of six months. However, information from the Far North District Council suggests that this change resulted in unforeseen issues, including a shortage of facilities, resources, and staff to care for cats. This, in turn, led some individuals to drop off unwanted or abandoned cats at the council’s service desk.
Enforcement of the new regulations also proved challenging, particularly in cases where people provided food for cats but did not “own” them. Additionally, the cost of desexing and microchipping posed a financial challenge for low-income families, and local veterinary services faced increased demand for desexing, while the SPCA reported being over-capacity.
