Cull on furry friends
practice’’ and unowned cats in these areas are already classed as pests under the existing Regional Pest Management Plan.
In instances where live trapping was being carried out at a high biodiversity site, the decision to euthanise would be based on the absence of a micochip, he said.
‘‘The new aspect is that we’re making it clearer when a cat is considered a pest cat.’’
Brown said cat control would be prioritised to a sub-set of significant ecological areas – often relatively remote – where other pests were also being managed, and does not involve controlling urban areas where domestic cats were common.
Communication would take place with local community living in proximity to significant ecological areas to make them aware of cat control and give reasonable time to micro-chip their animals.
In practice, if a cat wasn’t micro-chipped but could be identified by other means, such as a collar with contact details, then it wouldn’t be treated as unowned, he said.
In Wellington, feral cats are dealt with by Greater Wellington’s Regional Pest Management Strategy and are controlled.
Since February, Wellington City Council requires all domestic cats over 12 weeks to be microchipped and registered on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register.
More than 80 per cent of cat owners who submitted on the bylaw supported the introduction of compulsory micro-chipping.
It costs $15 to register a pet on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register, and anywhere from $40-$90 for a micro-chip and registration at vet clinics.
Batley Burton said she and a large group of supporters would keep fighting.
‘‘We’re not going to lie down. We’re not going to have our cats killed by the council.’’
Public consultation on Auckland’s Regional Pest Management Strategy runs from February 28 to March 28.
In addition to the council plan, a National Cat Management Strategy, the work of groups including the NZ Veterinary Association, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the Department of Conservation and the Morgan Foundation, is acting to reduce the impact of cats.
It is calling for nationwide mandatory microchipping and desexing of domestic cats when ownership is transferred as part of an increased focus on responsible pet ownership. It also proposes ways to manage stray cats and raises the possibility of catcurfews in ecologically sensitive areas.