I’m writing in response to a recent article in RNZ titled “Regionwide cat control a ‘win for biodiversity” by Max Frethey

I am the Founder and Chair of The New Zealand Cat Foundation, a registered charity established 11 years ago, where we de-sex, vaccinate, microchip and care for cats who through no fault of their own have been displaced, lost, abandoned or surrendered for a range of reasons. 

Whilst I am a strong advocate for de-sexing and microchipping of cats to minimise the stray cat population it is important to remember that if this is to become mandatory, unless there is FREE de-sexing and microchipping available there will still be a large number not complying. 

The main issue is affordability particularly with rising vet costs but sadly there are those who are too lazy to do so, even if it is free.

Sadly, we have a people problem, not a cat problem.

I am pleased to note that a number of Councillors believe that a less strict approach should be taken however, I am very concerned about the comment made by Councillor Matthew Benge, where he stated that any cat who wasn’t de-sexed and without a microchip should be declared “feral”.  That is not the definition of “feral”.

When microchips came into use for animals, the whole intention was not to determine if a cat is owned/stray/feral but to give lost animals a greater chance of being reunited with their family. 

Is Mr Benge suggesting  any cat who has the misfortune to have missed out on being de-sexed and microchipped should be killed as a “pest”. Because that is what happens to cats deemed to be “feral”.

Further, as always it is the animal who pays the price for an irresponsible owner.

I am also disappointed by the un-substantiated  statement by Mayor Nick Smith where he stated “literally millions” of native birds were killed each year by feral cats. 

There was a very small  study done a number of years ago, where the predation of known prolific hunter cats was monitored as part of a study to determine if  collar bells would reduce the predation of these cats. The figures are enormously skewed now but have been trotted out incessantly and have had the effect of misleading people regarding the supposed damage cats cause. 

The mandating of microchipping is more about using the lack of a microchip as a licence to kill cats who through no fault of their own have become “stray”. 

There are numerous incidents of pet cats being treated as “feral” because it isn’t easy to properly scan an animal in a trap (as  the microchip often migrates from their original placement) and they also can fail, as in the  Virbac brand case when around 16,000 chips were found to be faulty but already inserted into animals and their owners had no knowledge of this. 

Under Councillor Matthew Benge’s suggestion they would all be classed as “feral” and killed as “pests”. 

A microchip does not miraculously prevent predation as this depends on the cat’s personality  so does the Nelson City Council simply  want a licence for their contractors to  kill strays?   

Councillor Benge ‘s statement appears to come from someone who has little empathy with cats and no understanding of the situation from a cat owner’s point of view or the importance they have in our society. 

Cats are defined legally under the Code of Welfare for Cats (2007) as gazetted by the Minister of MPI in New Zealand. 

An enormous amount of discussion amongst renowned animal welfare experts went into carefully defining the difference between “stray” and “feral” and this was to ensure stray cats in particular were not treated as “feral” and killed as “pests”. 

The three definitions are as follows:

Companion: Common domestic cat (including a kitten) that lives with humans as a companion and is dependent on humans for its welfare. 

Stray: A companion cat that is lost or abandoned and which is living as an individual or in a group ( colony) . Stray cats have many of their needs indirectly provided by humans, and live around centres of human habitation. Stray cats are likely to interbreed with the un-neutered companion cat population.

Feral: A cat which is not a stray cat and which has none of its needs provided by humans. Feral cats generally do not live around centres of habitation. Feral cat population size fluctuates largely independently of humans, is self - sustaining and is not dependent on input from the companion cat population. 

 An increasingly popular term is “Community cats”  used for  stray, semi-owned or un-owned cats, whose reliance on the community they live in for their care is essential. These cats are naturally free roaming, “un-owned” or “semi-owned” cats, who may live either on their own or in colonies. 

The community often takes an interest in them and many in that community like to look after them and  make sure their welfare and other needs are met. 

The New Zealand Cat Foundation is a member of the Community Cat Coalition and members attend to the management needs of stray cats in Auckland and undertake trapping, de-sexing and more recently microchipping of these cats. 

However, it is important to note that until recently when cats were de-sexed the LEFT EAR was tipped and this is an accepted practice  world-wide to show a cat has been de-sexed. 

Council contractors need to understand that the majority of these cats will not have a microchip but the most important issue is that they will not breed. So they should be protected from being treated as “feral”. Over the years many hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent (usually funded by individual members of the community) de-sexing strays to reduce the population and these cats are cared for in the community on a daily basis. However, many of them are too timid to be part of a home environment. But they are no more threat to native species than a domestic cat as their daily needs are met by caring volunteers. 

Anne Batley Burton -Chair/Founder The New Zealand Cat Foundation

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