This follows the Federal Government opening consultation on a new action plan to stop feral cats from decimating native wildlife and driving vulnerable native species to the brink of extinction.
“When domesticated cats are living inside our homes, snuggled up at the end of our beds, we rightly love them,” Minister Plibersek said.
“But feral cats are the opposite of adorable. They are walking, stalking, ruthless killers.
“Cats kill six million animals every night and are one of the main reasons Australia is the mammal extinction capital of the world.
“We are declaring war on feral cats.”
The government plan sets new goals to reduce feral cat numbers across Australia, including the development of new tools to control feral cats, such as the Felixer cat grooming trap as well as committing $400,000 to develop a feral cat bait.
However, Cat Protection CEO Kristina Vesk OAM said that habitat loss and climate change are the biggest threats to biodiversity.
“Creating a moral panic about cats is a tactic used over and over again to pretend there’s a simple solution to ‘wicked’ environmental problems,” she said.
“Invoking violent language and demonising a single species is dangerous.”
Public consultation on the new plan is open until December 2023.
More info: dcceew.gov.au/environment/invasive.
War on ‘ferals’ but must lock-up pets
CAT Protection Society of NSW has urged Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to declare peace on the environment instead of a “war” on feral cats.
