What does it look like?

Feral and stray cats originate from domesticated cats.  They are usually short-haired and slightly built, with a large head and sharp features.  They can often be in poor physical condition.

Feral cats avoid people and other distubances, and have none of their needs provided by humans.  They do not live around centres of human habitation, are rarely seen except in remote rural locations and their population is self-sustaining, requiring no input from the domestic cat population.

Stray cats have been lost or abandoned by humans but may still have many of their needs indirectly supplied by humans and live around centres of human habitation.   Stray cats may rely on humans for food but they are usually wary of humans and may be aggressive when cornered or captured.

Cats can be found in most terrestrial habitats, including urban areas, production landscapes (e.g. farms and orchards) and natural areas (e.g. forests, dunes and wetlands).

Why is it a problem?

Cats are generalist predators and can have large home ranges.  It is estimated that feral, stray and pet cats kill up to 100 million birds in New Zealand each year.  They are a known predator of young kiwi and also eat eggs, lizards, invertebrates and frogs. 

Cats are prolific breeders.  Females usually take 6 - 9 months to reach sexual maturity but kittens as young as 4 months can become pregnant.  Pregnancy lasts about 68 days and litters are most commonly of 3-6 kittens.  A female can have more than one litter each year.  Stray cats have higher survival rates than feral cats and faster reproduction rates.

Control Methods

Options include live capture or kill traps. When trapping for feral cats you need to be careful to avoid trapping domestic cats. Live capture traps, as the name suggests, catches the animal live, so this trap is safe to use around residential areas.

Sometimes it is best to fix the door open for two or three nights until the cat is comfortable entering the trap, before actually setting it. Do not attempt to touch or pick up a wildcat, or even a kitten. They bite and scratch and can spread disease. See a doctor if you get bitten by a cat.

A person who, for the purpose of capturing alive a mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian, sets a trap or causes a trap to be set must inspect the trap, or cause a competent person to inspect that trap, within 12 hours after sunrise on each day the trap remains set, beginning on the day immediately after the day on which the trap is set.

Kill traps can be used in a variety of situations outside of residential areas.  Examples of Kill traps are SA2 . Bait the trap with meat based baits.

Feral cats can be very difficult to trap as they are naturally cautious and a previous bad experience can make them extremly shy. 

Contact Northland Regional Council Biosecurity staff for more trapping information and where you can use and buy traps. 

Video sample

More Information

Northland Regional Council supports responsible cat ownership which includes microchipping, de-sexing and keeping cats contained at night.  These actions all have a positive impact on cat health, cats as a disease vector and biodiversity protection.  Northland Regional Council encourages the use of live capture traps in urban areas so microchipped domestic cats can be distinguished from feral or stray cats by veterinary clinics.