Stance on stray cats puzzles animal group

Adriana Kurz of Russell at a protest against council plans to catch and re-home Paihia's stray cats. Photo / Peter de Graaf

A group working to restore wildlife in the Paihia area says it is puzzled and disappointed by opposition to plans to re-home the town's stray cats.

The Paihia Cat Protection (PCP) group held a protest last Saturday against plans by the Far North District Council to catch and re-home, via the Bay of Islands SPCA, the colony's remaining cats.

Volunteers led by 88-year-old Betty Chapman have fed the colony near Paihia's Village Green for the past 11 years and want the remaining cats to live out their lives there. Numbers in the colony are disputed - PCP says seven cats remain, the council believes just two are left.

Environmental group Bay Bush Action (BBA), which has set up a pest trapping programme in the nearby Opua Forest to protect native birds, first called for the cats to be re-homed two years ago. Trustee Craig Salmon said the group believed that was best for cats and wildlife.

"We're pleased with the solution the council has come up with, and we do find it quite contradictory that they [PCP] are protesting against re-homing of the cats. It leaves us a bit confused."

One of BBA's concerns is that cats could kill New Zealand dotterels, of which only 1700 remain.

PCP says the nearest dotterels are 2km away at Waitangi and in no danger from some elderly cats, but Mr Salmon said the birds had been seen feeding on Taiputuputu Pahi Beach about 500m from the Village Green. They fed day or night, whenever the tide was out, putting them at risk from nocturnal hunters such as cats.

"With such declining bird populations we need to do everything we can to protect them," he said.

PCP also says removing the cats will lead to an explosion in rat and mice numbers, but Mr Salmon said BBA had already offered to trap rodents around the Village Green.

BBA was calling for responsible pet ownership, not a cat ban, he said. That included neutering, microchipping, feeding cats indoors to avoid attracting stray and feral animals, and keeping cats inside at night. Containing cats on the property was ideal if people could afford it.

Bay of Islands SPCA manager John Logie said the council had so far caught and handed over two cats.

One was found to be microchipped so was returned to its owner on Saturday, but the other was believed to be a colony cat. It would be given to a local couple used to fostering cats or to an Auckland group which provided homes for strays. Either way it would live out the rest of its days in a warm, dry place.

Mr Logie said the SPCA had become involved in re-homing the colony out of concern for the animals' welfare after a number of cats were poisoned in Opua last year.

There were also concerns that existing colonies tended to attract more cats. While the cats currently in the Paihia colony were old and unlikely to be serious predators, that might not be the case for any new arrivals.