Feral Cats

Feral Cats…know your pest!

Feral cats (Felis catus)

Identification and habitat
The first cats were introduced to New Zealand in 1769 with European explorers to control the number of rats onboard their ships. Feral cat colonies were likely established around 50 years after introduction. Feral cats are often larger but have shorter lifespans than domestic breeds. They are extremely wary of humans and are extremely difficult to find without cameras in the landscape. Pest Free Banks Peninsula (PFBP) is targeting feral cats only, not domestic cats.

Habitats
Feral cats are widespread in New Zealand. They live in a wide variety of habitats, including coastal areas, farmland, forests, riverbeds, sub-alpine environments and on islands.

Behaviours

They are solitary and highly skilled hunters. Hunting is instinctual and they will hunt even if they do not need the food.
They tend to hunt/stalk their prey and will often not kill it immediately.
Feral cats will target prey up to and slightly larger than their body size. This includes invertebrates, birds (ground nesting birds are highly susceptible), rabbits and they can kill adult kiwi.
Feral cats will do most of their hunting at night but will hunt during the day if food is scarce.

Threats – why are they a problem?

Feral cats pose a serious health risk to humans, livestock and native biodiversity as carriers of diseases such as toxoplasmosis and sarcosporidiosis. Cat-related toxoplasmosis can cause debilitation, miscarriage and congenital birth defects in humans and sheep. Recently, toxoplasmosis has shown to increase the risk of a range of mental illnesses in humans. Toxoplasmosis has also been linked to deaths of endangered Hector’s and Maui dolphins.
Feral cats can cause injuries and serious infections in domestic cats and other pets if they are disturbed or confronted. While feral cats will usually avoid homes, they will approach to scavenge food from pets if prey availability is constrained.
Feral cats have been responsible for extinctions on offshore islands and are significant predators of all native bird life, lizards and large invertebrates like wētā.
Feral cats have no obvious positive economic value. The cost of feral cat control in New Zealand is not known but in Australia it has been estimated at $2 million per year.
Feral cats also represent a high-risk reservoir for exotic diseases such as rabies is an outbreak were to occur in New Zealand.