Ōpōtiki residents whose properties are being overrun by cats are urging the local district council to instate a policy to restrict numbers.
By Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter
Neil Ericksen said he had been dealing with issues with stray cats since he moved into his home two years ago.
“There have been times when I have found five cats on my patio," he told Ōpōtiki District Council.
Patio furniture he inherited from his mother had been destroyed by the cats, he said.
“I have squirted cat repellent, sprinkled pepper, thrown pots of water and other items at unwanted cats and placed anti-cat mats.”
After setting animal traps loaned to him by Ōpōtiki Society for the Care of Animals (Osca), he caught seven felines in two weeks, but it did not solve the problem.
“Still, they come and come.”
The problem seemed to be worse in the Bracken Street area, although he had seen as many as 10 cats at one time sitting on the lawn of the Anglican Church in Church Street.
“The person who feeds the cats in our street also feeds those cats. I see stray cats also around the laundromat in Elliot Street, and I’m told there is another cluster near Mitre 10.”
Julie van der Veer said her street had been inundated with cats and kittens over the past 12 months, mostly from one property.
“[The cats] defecate on everyone else's garden and urinate on our porches.”
Reg Taia, who lived near a property where dozens of cats gather to be fed, said the cats entered his home whenever a door was left open.
"We don't hate cats, but we hate what dozens of cats that don't belong to us are doing to our properties,” Taia said.
"They chase away and kill the birds that used to frequent our backyard.”
The residents were full of praise for the “very capable” Ōpōtiki District Council animal control team for greatly reducing a barking dog issue.
However, they were told there was nothing that could be done about the cats because there was no policy within the council.
Ericksen provided research on policies held by other councils, including Whanganui, Palmerston North, Hutt City, Wellington City, Ruapehu and Selwyn.
These varied but could include limiting the number of cats in a household, compulsory microchipping, registering and desexing and rules for keeping cats inside after dark.
He asked that the council adopt a similar policy plus prohibiting feeding cats on non-residential properties.
Feral cats were also causing problems outside the town limits.
He had spoken to rural people who blamed feral cats for a recent absence of kiwi calling.
Councillor Barry Howe said he was in favour of a cat policy, while Councillor Dean Peterson agreed but questioned staff about their capacity to police it.
A staff member said the small team was already stretched with dog and horse control and stock on roads.
Council chief executive Stace Lewer asked the elected members to consider whether that was something they would like staff to investigate further for a review during the upcoming long-term plan process.
Mayor David Moore said central Government needed to be made aware of the issues as council staff had enough on their plate dealing with horses and dogs.
"We've got a current government that's making lots of noise about us sticking to core business, and whether dog control is core business is even debatable to them, so we need them to step up and do their bit.”
He said without Ōsca the town would have a much worse cat problem.”
Ōsca’s Kathleen Young said she agreed that all companion animals should be desexed and microchipped.
“Certainly, that is what we have been working on for the last 15 to 20 years.”
ŌSCA desexed about 140 cats last year and since 2022 had desexed about 180 dogs.
However, she felt the cost to ratepayers for the council to enforce a cat policy would be too high.
“I don’t see that ever happening,” she said.
“It is quite a complex problem, and I don’t see an easy solution, to be honest.”
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air.
SHARE ME