Feral cat plan targets the wrong cats

The RSPCA has welcomed investment in new technologies and research into the best and most humane approach to managing feral cats across Australia, but has called on the Federal Government to reconsider its decision to include domestic cats in its Feral Cat Threat Abatement Plan, a move that could put thousands of cats who live alongside humans at risk.

“Cat management is complex, and of course there’s a need to control feral cats to protect wildlife,” said RSPCA Australia Chief Science Officer Dr Suzie Fowler.

“Under the most recent draft we’ve seen of the Government’s feral cat Threat Abatement Plan, there are now only two types of cat — ‘feral’ and ‘pet’.

“This means that unowned and semi-owned cats — cats who live alongside humans and have some form of contact with and reliance on people — will now be classed as ‘feral’.

“This includes cats who are provided with care by someone, often multiple people — people who often have strong relationships with the cats they care for. The cat who stops by your neighbours’ houses for a pat and to get fed is not the same as a cat who lives completely wild — but this plan treats them the same.

“This means that thousands of domestic cats will be classed as feral, meaning at best it will add a greater burden to organisations that are seen as responsible for managing stray cats, and at worst, more cats will be killed — not to mention putting up an additional barrier to these cats being adopted or rehomed.”

Dr Fowler said that the language used by the Government was also concerning.

“Vilifying cats and declaring ‘war’ on them shifts the focus away from what should be the key objective — to protect and conserve vulnerable native species — to instead promoting the killing of as many cats as possible.

“A good domestic cat management strategy has to consider the humans the cats live alongside. Our communities can be a valuable source of information, funding, and support when it comes to managing domestic cats.

“For example, people could be given more support to take on ownership of semi-owned and unowned cats. Also, people could be more likely to be helpful to management efforts (for example, by reporting ‘stray’ cats) if they trust the outcomes will be positive for the cats.

“We have consistently urged the Government to listen to the experts and take domestic cats out of their feral cat Threat Abatement Plan, and to invest appropriately in research and application of specific management techniques that work for domestic semi-owned and unowned cats — techniques which are very different to those mentioned in today’s announcement for feral cat management.

“Oversimplifying the issue, and simply locking up or killing cats is not going to solve the problem — a considered and collaborative approach including community engagement, desexing, microchipping and encouraging keeping cats safe at home will be more successful in the long run.”

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Feral cat plan targets the wrong cats

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