{"id":16550,"date":"2022-06-30T11:49:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T23:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoed.org.nz\/?p=16550"},"modified":"2022-08-20T07:43:11","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T19:43:11","slug":"the-growing-threat-of-feral-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoed.org.nz\/the-growing-threat-of-feral-cats\/","title":{"rendered":"The growing threat of feral cats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Feral cats are becoming a big problem in many parts of the country. But the \u2018cat conversation\u2019 can be contentious. Save the Kiwi National Predator Control Advisor John Bissell discusses why feral cats are becoming more of a threat<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,<\/strong><\/span> and why this observation isn\u2019t an attack on domestic cats.<\/p>\n

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Feral cat out at night in our territory and, above, another one spotted in broad daylight<\/p><\/div>\n

He says: ‘Feral cat numbers in the landscape have boomed in recent years. I know of projects that are removing them in the hundreds each year, when they used to remove them in the tens.<\/p>\n

‘Why is this? Quite simply, it\u2019s because of food. Milder winters are growing their prey populations quite nicely and feral cats are riding on the crest of that wave.<\/p>\n

‘Cats ride the top of the food wave and ferrets come along in behind.’<\/p>\n

Incredibly, a few irresponsible owners of domestic cats and kittens sometimes dump them in the Kawekas and other rural areas around Hawke’s Bay.<\/p>\n

This isn’t just cruel to pets and a threat to wildlife. It is also a crime under the Animal Welfare Act 1999.<\/p>\n