Download Feral cat fact sheet - draft report

Feral cat management
State-wide review of pest animal management
Draft report
The issue
Current status
Draft report
recommendations
• Feral cats have been identified as
the likely cause of seven mammal
species extinctions, and are a threat
to approximately 90 mammals, birds,
reptiles and amphibians.
• The national feral cat Threat Abatement
Plan aims for reduced stray and feral
cat abundances in areas around human
habitation.
• The draft report recommended the NSW Government align the draft NSW Invasive
Species Plan 2015-2022 with the federal Threat abatement plan for predation by
feral cats and:
• Stray and unconfined domestic cats
are also a threat to wildlife and can
contribute to the feral cat population.
• The plan encourages state and territory
governments to provide for effective
management of domestic cats through
cat confinement regulations.
• Cat management is focused on
reducing the threats posed by
individuals and suppressing the
population of feral cats, particularly in
areas of high biodiversity value.
• NSW lags many Australian jurisdictions
that have tightened the management of
cats through measures including
limiting numbers, compulsory desexing,
breeder registration and confinement.
• Control techniques for feral cats are
generally expensive and labour
intensive, and require continuing
management effort to be effective.
However, cat-specific baits are
expected to become available later
this year.
• Responsible cat ownership, including
confinement and desexing, is promoted
by animal welfare agencies including
the RSPCA.
- declare feral cats as a pest by including them in a pest animal regulation under
the Biosecurity Act 2015
- prioritise within the NSW Invasive Species Plan 2015-2022 the management of
feral cats in areas of high biodiversity value
- support continued research into the scale, efficiency, cost-effectiveness,
sustainability and risk of cat control methods.
• The draft report also recommended that the NSW Government amend the
Companion Animals Act 1998 to provide for:
- the compulsory desexing of all cats by the age of four months if not exempted
- requiring all owners of sexually entire cats older than four months to be
registered as a breeder
- all sexually entire cats to be registered annually
- local governments to declare and enforce cat confinement areas.
• Also recommended was that the NSW Government should partner with the RSPCA
and other organisations to deliver targeted education campagins to raise
awareness of the risks of stray and feral cats and to promote responsible pet
ownership.
Image: Darren Marshall, courtesy Invasive Animals CRC.
Natural Resources Commission, August 2016.