Ban on cats in NZ

[Black Orchid]

RESIDENTS in a usually sleep seaside village in New Zealand’s South Island are getting their claws out over a proposed “cat ban”.

Environmental authorities in the Southland region have proposed new rules that would see pet owners of the tiny township of Omaui have to neuter their felines and not replace them once they died.

The area is home to reserves and native bush areas and Environment Southland says house cats are a threat to birds, lizards, bugs and plants. But in the day since the plan became public this week, the department says it’s been flooded with calls and hundreds of online comments from both sides of the debate.

Local environment group Omaui Landcare Charitable Trust lobbied for the changes, and chair John Collins says its simply not the right place to have cats. “There’s a lot of people who realise our native wildlife is in decline big time and we need to do something about it,” he said.

“We’ve expected [a strong reply], it’s an emotional issue … We’re not cat haters. This is about responsible pet ownership … It’s a high-value conservation area.” But others are adamant they will fight the proposal.

Nico Jarvis, who moved to the seaside community five years ago and owns three cats, says her pets are the only way to deal with rodents in the area. ‘‘It’s like a police state … It’s not even regulating people’s ability to have a cat. It’s saying you can’t have a cat,” she told the Otago Daily Times. A “cat ban” was always going to be contentious.

Similar proposals to phase out felines by politicians in New Zealand in recent years have been met with fierce debate.

Kiwis in 2016 owned about 1.13 million cats, about 1.5 for every household in the country, according to the New Zealand Companion Animal Council.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/lifestyl ... 1535660973

Radical proposal

How does responsible pet ownership equate to banning all cats?

[Bobby]

Most cats I know are so well fed that they wouldn't harm a fly.

[freediver]

Most cats I know are so well fed that they wouldn't harm a fly.

That's a common misconception. A well fed cat can actually kill more animals than a starving one, especially in new world locations where the native animals are not as well adapted. People see a cat sleeping all day and think it is lazy, but that is what cats do.

[Bobby]

Most cats I know are so well fed that they wouldn't harm a fly.

That's a common misconception. A well fed cat can actually kill more animals than a starving one, especially in new world locations where the native animals are not as well adapted. People see a cat sleeping all day and think it is lazy, but that is what cats do.

I know many domestic cats that are scared of birds like crows & magpies.
I saw a cat running for it's life the other day after being attacked by a spur winger plover bird.

[freediver]

Most cats I know are so well fed that they wouldn't harm a fly.

That's a common misconception. A well fed cat can actually kill more animals than a starving one, especially in new world locations where the native animals are not as well adapted. People see a cat sleeping all day and think it is lazy, but that is what cats do.

I know many domestic cats that are scared of birds like crows & magpies.
I saw a cat running for it's life the other day after being attacked by a spur winger plover bird.

It probably came back late that night and ate it.

[Bobby]

It probably came back late that night and ate it.

No way - those birds are fierce.
Cats are good for controlling rodents.
With a cat at your place the only time you'll see a mouse is in the cat's mouth.

[sprintcyclist]

Cats are one of the few animals that kill for fun.

[Black Orchid]

Cats are fine with responsible ownership. My cat has never killed a thing in its life. It's not allowed to roam free and it is actually terrified of birds that come around. Even those noisy Indian Mina things.

Dogs will also unintentionally, and intentionally, kill things too by chasing them down. Should we ban all pets unless they live in a nice little cage?

Fining and/or jailing irresponsible owners is a far more successful approach.

[freediver]

All intelligent social predators kill for fun.

[BigP]

Cant say I have heard of this, Sounds like fake news