"This is just the same for the wild birds and lizards in our community, they also need to be protected from a growing population of feral cats. Desexing such cats, which is the SPCA's answer to the issue, doesn't remove the threat to our wildlife."
In a rewrite of its bylaws, the council has included controls for those who own more than three cats where complaints are received, or if they are offensive to the occupiers of a neighbouring property, a threat to public health, an endangerment to neighbouring animals, or if they may become a nuisance, injurious or hazardous.
Young kittens aren't included as part of the cat numbers in the bylaw.
"The major issue is around the health of cats and if the size of a property is small for the number of cats then they tend to migrate more than normal," Peter Wimsett, council's manager of strategy and district development, said.
"Cats do wander and that doesn't make them a nuisance. But microchipping would add a great deal of cost."
In 2015, as Woodville struggled to cope with an invasion of stray cats, a trapping and culling programme was put in place by WDV after reports of moggies fighting, stealing food and spreading disease.
With no one able to get near the strays they weren't able to be desexed and were reproducing in great numbers.
However, within weeks a halt was called to capturing the nuisance cats and having them euthanised as volunteers carrying out the trapping became the target of abuse.
"They were being talked about as if they were murderers and there was no need for it," Winter said at the time.
Last May, fed-up with feral and abandoned cats in the area, district councillor Peter Johns, who lives in Woodville, insisted the council "stop mucking around" and bring in a bylaw to deal to the feral and abandoned cats plaguing his town.
Norsewood cat lover Lyn McConchie said she believed council's bylaw was fair.
"However, I also think council need to add a permissible variance, something along the lines of, 'should all neighbours agree to a larger number of cats in the case of a breeder, or a rescue person having the animals on a temporary basis, that should be considered by the council on a one-off basis'.
"If there is agreement by all concerned, this should be permitted, subject to permission being withdrawn on 48-hours' notice if there are verifiable complaints," she said.
Wimsett said it had taken council two years to get its bylaw in place.
"Bylaws are difficult to introduce for councils trying to control cats, as owners aren't registered," he said.
"There's also the definition between stray cats which have no home and wandering cats who are doing just what cats do.
"Cats are important to people and controlling stray and feral cats is the key."
Wimsett said people need to be aware there were also legal obligations, when trapping cats, to find the legal owner.
Help for Woodville cat owners
The Outpawed Rescue Trust in Manawatu has extended its desexing programme to Woodville.
Due to a funding boost, the co-payment for its spay campaign has been reduced. The cost to get a female cat desexed, microchipped and registered is just $20.
Surgery is performed by a qualified veterinarian in Feilding and there is no wait list for this service, but you must be able to transport your cat to and from the clinic on the surgery date and for suture removal.
Conditions apply. This offer is available to CSC and SuperGold Card holders, for female cats over 4 months of age.
Email outpawed@gmail.com for bookings.
