Have your say: Cat problem

Sixteen-year-old Phoenix Bright-Young with Lucky the cat and Bay Bush Action trustee Craig Salmon.

Bay Bush Action would like to clarify some [points] in a pamphlet and a petition going around our community regarding the Paihia Cat Colony.

A meeting was held by Far North District Council (FNDC), attended by the SPCA, Bay Bush Action and a community board representative, to discuss the homeless Paihia cat colony and the temporary feeding station.

After numerous invitations, the Paihia Cat Protection group (PCP), which feeds stray and nuisance cats, refused to come to the meeting to discuss the issue.

After weeks of surveillance, FNDC has established that there are only two of the original homeless cats from the colony remaining.

Other cats, both domestic and nuisance, turn up to the feeding station on occasions because, predictably, when you put food out for cats, you get cats.

Bay Bush Action only uses humane, animal welfare approved traps under the guidance of the Department of Conservation. Our feral cat traps are deep within Opua State Forest and set at least 1km back from Paihia homes.

The Opua State Forest is conservation land, reserved for our native species only.
We are pleased that the homeless cat colony in Paihia town is about to be wrapped up for good.

The cats will be carefully live-trapped by professionals and handed to John Logie from the Bay of Islands SPCA who already has a fully contained loving home for them, and has been supportive of the decision.

We feel this is a great win for the wildlife in the area and for the cats themselves.

It's a tough life for a homeless cat and most animal welfare groups say they live short miserable lives and do not support this method of animal control.

However we are disappointed the PCP is trying to stop these neglected cats going to a loving home to live out their lives. (Abridged)

Brad Windust,
Bay Bush Action Trust Board
Paihia

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