Can Australia Curb Its Killer Cats?


Australia has a cat problem. Its population of just over eight million feral and domestic cats are thought to kill billions of native creatures each year, many endangered. For one cat, her favoured prey included birds, rodents and even red-bellied black snakes. A typical domestic cat in New South Wales will kill more than 180 native creatures every year, suggests data from Threatened Species Recovery Hub. And her feral feline cousins, whose population fluctuates between two and six million, are even more voracious, each killing about 790 wild animals per year. What do you think LiveTribers? Can Australia curb its killer cats?

Posted by on 30 Mar 2023

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  • [0] [0]
    MARIE

    It will take a long time. All states must make it law, that all cats must be kept inside, and ALL are registered and neutered by 3-4 months of age. All furbabies must be saved from being killed on our roads, and killing so many native animals.

    Posted by MARIE on 29 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    yelsha42

    I imagine it would be too difficult.

    Posted by yelsha42 on 23 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    tobybee

    They can if all states make a concerted cat eradication effort.. and make it law that they have to be enclosed at all times

    Posted by tobybee on 23 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    kendallx3

    Not likely, there are so many dumped.

    Posted by kendallx3 on 23 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    Swampy

    Way too many cats getting dropped in the wild to get them under control.

    Posted by Swampy on 23 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    XIAOYANG

    I think a cat tax for some specific types of cats could be introduced to reduce its influence.

    Posted by XIAOYANG on 23 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    June

    For domestic cats, de-sex them is the best method to control over-population. Also, there should stronger measures to hold pet cats owners accountable and responsible behaviours of their cats in destroying native creatures. I think feral cats are once owned pet cats but somehow they wandered off from their domestic keepers and became lost wild cats. Unfortunately, cats have wandering natural traits. Again, it goes back to holding pet cats owners accountable for their pets. They should be required to mandatory chip their cats as registration of ownership and tracking the location of their own pets. Regular hunt down of feral cats is one of the ways to curb killer cats, same as what the government is doing regularly on over-populated kangaroos, foxes and wild rabbits.

    Posted by June on 20 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    Spiderwoman

    We must. People who choose to have cats need to take responsibility not just for the cat's welfare but that of our native creatures. There should be an education requirement prior to sale.

    Posted by Spiderwoman on 20 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    Kaede

    There are things people can still do to prevent the situation from getting worse like purchasing cats that only stay indoors, desexing cats, etc. It won't solve everything but it is a start.

    Posted by Kaede on 20 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    Jibberman

    A difficult task unless cats are kept inside all day. Outside their instinct kicks in and that's the problem.

    Posted by Jibberman on 20 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    bronniept

    Cats should be inside only. I lived in a suburban area where everyone's cats would come into my back yard every night to fight and they would come in during the day to kill the birds I was attracting with my plants. I used to live in western Queensland where you didn't often see feral cats unless you knew where and when to look, and there were hundreds of them. trapping and culling of feral cats needs to occur.

    Posted by bronniept on 18 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    samsterchan

    Cats need to be reigned in in the wild to prevent wildlife from being endangered.

    Posted by samsterchan on 18 Apr 2023
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  • [1] [0]
    Leslie

    We live in country Queensland and used have plenty of wild life..with the housing boom lots of city people move into area and cat problem becomes a big priority to educate these hew dwellers..

    Posted by Leslie on 07 Apr 2023
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  • [2] [0]
    WILOLANE

    I have had 4 four cats myself that have all been indoor only cats. The problem is not with cats it is with irresponsible owners.

    Posted by WILOLANE on 07 Apr 2023
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  • [1] [0]
    Turbotom

    There are too many cats left roaming at night which is what annoys me

    Posted by Turbotom on 07 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    Karen

    Yes just irresponsible

    Posted by Karen on 18 Apr 2023
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  • [1] [0]
    Kittykato

    Cats can be happy inside if that is what they are used to. There's no need for domestic cats to roam free.

    Posted by Kittykato on 07 Apr 2023
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  • [1] [1]
    sandra

    I think the majority of domestic cats are not killers. 180 native creatures a year? That's one every two days. I don't think so. As others have said, foxes are a bigger problem. I lost 18 hens and roosters two nights ago.

    Posted by sandra on 07 Apr 2023
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  • [1] [0]
    Sonia

    Too many around. We get a lot of feral cats down our way. Nothing we can do about it. I’ve tried asking for help from the council but no help from them either.

    Posted by Sonia on 07 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    alderwick

    thats alot of ferious cats out there that seek and destroy our wildlife its appalling people need to get there cats dexed keep them in u own yard trapping the wild cats no poisons please some cats have been dumped in my area irrespondable people leave there cats out all the time in larger areas set large cat traps which would trap alot more cats

    Posted by alderwick on 07 Apr 2023
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  • [0] [0]
    mact

    Got a cat?.....needs to have a loud collar bell and or a cat cage/enclosure or cat proof backyard. Cats are great pets and super wildlife killers. Soft cock owners need to face up to the facts. Cats are born killers and should be well controlled and non breeders should be sterilized with BIG financial penalties for allowing unregistered and free roaming cats!!!

    Posted by mact on 04 Apr 2023
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  • [2] [0]
    sulter

    i live in rural nsw. there are no feral cats here just foxes, goannas, eagles quolls and hawkes which eat other native creatures and domestic ones too.

    Posted by sulter on 03 Apr 2023
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  • [2] [1]
    Paula

    Cats are killers by nature but it's the owner that is the problem. De-sex your cats and keep them in at night. If you want a pet then look after it and be responsible.

    Posted by Paula on 02 Apr 2023
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  • [2] [1]
    ere

    No, and there's no need to. Foxes kill a lot more native animals than cats do and there hasn't been a Fox cull for many years. A fox will kill 20+ chickens a night just for fun (it's happened to us) plus many other native animals whereas a cat, from experience, won't kill anywhere that many in a week.

    Posted by ere on 31 Mar 2023
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  • [1] [1]
    coaster

    I think you will find though there are more cats than foxes by millions hence the huge problem.

    Posted by coaster on 01 Apr 2023
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