New Zealand overrun with cats

Do NOT visit New Zealand if you are a bird lover!!! You will be in for an awful shock!!! In terms of native wildlife, forget it -- most of what you see will be domestic and feral cats prowling their cities and countryside in search of birds and other animals to torture and kill. They are everywhere!! New Zealand has one of the highest rates of cat ownership in the world, and at the same time the slackest and most irresponsible laws dealing with cat control. In fact there are no laws. Cats are completely uncontrolled, no rules whatsoever concerning licencing, de-sexing, micro-chipping, the wearing of bells, vaccination, or the movement of cats. And, unlike any other type of pet owner, cat owners cannot be held legally responsible in New Zealand for anything that their cats do to wildlife, private property, public health,etc. Cats kill an estimated 27 million birds annually here in New Zealand, which is over half a million per week, or roughly 75000 per day. Per capita, New Zealand wins the award, We trounce the UK where, with a population of 60 million, only 75 million wild birds are killed annually by domestic cats. In the USA where the cat problem has led to drastic control measures in many areas of the country, cats kill around one billion birds per year, still less than half the NZ rate on a per capita basis. Research shows that, worldwide, cats kill as many as 4.1 billion birds annually, on top of all other wildlife they kill. Scientists now acknowledge that cats have become the most common predator on the planet, and that their numbers are exploding despite the devastation they cause. The vast majority of NZ cat owners turn a blind eye to their cat's thirst for blood, writing it off as simply "something cat's do" even though it's now clear that the cat's so-called "killer instinct" is more neurotic than innate. No other cat in the natural world wastes energy killing for fun when it has a full stomach. Instead, it conserves its energy. Most New Zealanders do not even bother putting a bell on their cats, not that bells are effective in deterring the cat's hobby of killing. Some of us here in NZ are ashamed of ourselves which is why we have started Cat Haters of New Zealand in an attempt to draw awareness to this horrific problem and to work toward strick cat control legislation such as that which can be found in many parts of the world. Fortunately, with bird populations declining across the globe, people are becoming more concerned about cats as one of the contributing factors. Australia is one of the countries leading the way, with tough new cat laws being introduced in several parts of the country. In the city of Geelong, in Victoria, for instance, a cat curfew is now in place that will require cats to be inside at night, and also not to intrude on private property during the day. This law has been endorsed by both the Cat Protection Society and the Animal Welfare Society, so it is not just cat haters who are pushing this cause. In the USA, new cat control laws in Minnesota and South Dakota now allow a person to shoot and kill any cat they see without a collar or that is not under the direct control of the owner. Several other states are planning to introduce similar laws since the problem of free-roaming cats has gotten out of control. No sane or compassionate person wants to contribute to the ongoing plight of birds. The reason that cat protection societies also support stricter cat control measures is that they act on behalf of the cat's safely and well-being by preventing them from being run over by cars, attacked by other animals, victimized by human cruelty, or exposed to fatal diseases such as rabies, feline leukemia, distemper, and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). In addition, this reduces the risk of overpopulation and feral activity which sees many millions of cats euthanized each year. We here in NZ have not yet learned that, when we chose a cat as a pet with the intention of letting it roam free, we are making an important moral decision that will impact the lives of many of our fellow creatures. We have an especially delicate ecology here which gives us only one option -- KEEP OUR CAT INSIDE AT ALL TIMES. Cats are lethal weapons that we are allowing to destroy some of the most beautiful works of "God's Country," as we so inaccurately call ourselves. Until we get it right, please visit Australia.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• New Zealand
• kiwi
• kiwi bird
• travel
• Australia
• wildlife
• visit New Zealand
• pets

[Angelrc3]

feral cats can be a problem thats is why i keep mine as inside as possible as i can plus i just had it neutered. to prevent unwanted offspring. mind you that cats also hunt and eat rats. tell you what remove every feral cat or cat in the city and watch the rat and mice population go sky high. plus they can carry diseases or possibly another plague. i dont agree with cats killing birds. but they just hunt i dont believe they do it with malicious intent.

[catsinside]

Dear @Angelrc3, thanks for your comment. We thank you for keeping your cat inside as much as possible, which will save the lives of many birds. As for rats, research shows that cats rarely take on city rats. And as for the plague you predict if cats were kept inside, research also shows that, in cities where cats are by law required to stay inside, there is no increase in mice/rat numbers. That is a sanitation problem and one to be solved by cleaning up our cities. But thanks again.

[TheShahradselahvarzi]

@wendyxmarie The problem is not as heartbreaking as it is when you know it is your loved ones who also do this. For example, if you catch a stranger's cat killing a mother mocking bird who has chicks, you don't hesitate to confront them. But what happens when, for example: you learn that your mother or father enjoys seeing their little bundle of domestic feline destruction tear a dove or blue jay to shreds? Then it's hard, but you still need to confront them, even if they don't agree.

[man03282000]

I'm so hate cats

Just to play away because they hurt other wildlife

Just as human happiness for the moment, like animal abuse

[man03282000]

I'm so hate cats

Just to play away because they hurt other wildlife

Just as human happiness for the moment, like animal abuse

[man03282000]

I'm so hate cats

Just to play away because they hurt other wildlife

Just as human happiness for the moment, like animal abuse

Really is abnormal cold-blooded

[pixie4865]

we KEEP our cats inside.

[wendyxmarie]

I am an animal lover, but I despise cats because they are so cruel. I spend so much time trying to protect the birds in my garden from the 2 cats next door, whilst the owners are either out or moaning about my (humane) efforts. This video was so sad, but at least I know I am not alone in my views. I firmly believe there should be laws regarding these feline pests.

[mealy777]

Every home should have a wire haired fox terrier to keep down the growing numbers of cats, in Europe the cat has no protection status, rendering it as vermin along with rats and other pests. cat owners are amused when their moggie brings home a dead bird,but they freak out at the thought of a dog killing their cats which is a dogs natural instinct.

[ecopixAWC]

You touch on who's fault it is, but I'd go further. A feral cat, though very efficient, is at least subject to ecological constraints. It hunts to eat and if it isn't successful it dies. As a population, too much pressure on prey populations will cause decline in predator populations, allowing some prey to survive. But feed that cat, then let it loose, and it will still kill, as instinct dictates. It will kill every last prey, because YOU are feeding it. Subsidised slaughter. Who's fault? Ours!