4 ms·

I've never looked in to importing cats, but requiring cats to be registered is a fairly common discussion topic here. Dogs must be registered and microchipped

I've never looked in to importing cats, but requiring cats to be registered is a fairly common discussion topic here. Dogs must be registered and microchipped (and aren't allowed in national parks, nature reserves, or wildlife sanctuaries). It's more expensive to register dogs that aren't neutered, so I believe the vast majority of pet dogs are. On the other hand, cats are commonly seen as a lower cost and lower responsibility option, and as a result there are loads of them loose outdoors. I help maintain pest (mainly possum, and rat) traps in a forest at the edge of a small city, our traps include some self-resetting rat traps [1]. This isn't something we've kept close track of, but I'd estimate 1 in 15-20 rats killed overnight in those traps will still be left the morning after, because a cat has cleared the dead rat overnight. An outright ban on cats is a political non-starter, but if we could at least require registration then pest control folks would have some chance of eliminating feral cats outside of special conservation areas. And, hopefully that change would shift the discourse a bit so a ban could be feasible down the track. [1] https://goodnature.co.nz/products/a24-rat-stoat https://goodnature.co.nz/products/a24-rat-stoat

petre 5y ago
So there's basically no chance of getting rid of cats in NZ. Germany at least requires cats to be registered and have a chip or tatoo id. My ex lives there, has lost her cat, it was captured by animal control and she had to pay a 300€ fine at the animal shelter to get it back. What about stoat, weasels and ferrets? I imagine one of those kills at least three fold more wildlife and birds than a cat, not counting eggs. Mustelids basically drove the kakapo to extinction.
- bacon_waffle 5y ago
  It's not really fair to say that there's no chance of getting rid of cats in NZ, might be more accurate to say it's not something that will happen soon. As you point out, a good step would be to require cat registration, and in some areas that has very nearly become a reality in recent elections. I'm not a conservation expert, but think it's safe to say that the answer to your question is a bit complicated. We have a national goal to be free of a list of predators including those by 2050 - it seems achievable, but only with a lot of work and political willpower. Stoats for instance can be killed with traps that cats can't get in to, so that's a useful tool in the more accessible areas where we still have pet cats to contend with. One of the more immediate issues in the big picture, is a small but vocal faction that's violently opposed to using a poison that is key in these efforts. To give some flavour, check out this recent and very well-done series: https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/fight-for-the-wild https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/fight-for-the-wild
- mschuster91 5y ago
  > Germany at least requires cats to be registered and have a chip or tatoo id. No, we don't. The only requirement is a chip + rabies shot if you are taking your cat, dog or ferret with you across other European countries (per directives 998/2003 resp. 576/2013). > My ex lives there, has lost her cat, it was captured by animal control and she had to pay a 300€ fine at the animal shelter to get it back. That is not a fine by the government, it is a charge from the shelter for the trap, medical checkout and accomodation cost.
  - Smithalicious 5y ago
    Isn't it amazing how someone can steal your pet, then hold it for ransom to get it back, legally?

petre 5y ago

So there's basically no chance of getting rid of cats in NZ. Germany at least requires cats to be registered and have a chip or tatoo id. My ex lives there, has lost her cat, it was captured by animal control and she had to pay a 300€ fine at the animal shelter to get it back. What about stoat, weasels and ferrets? I imagine one of those kills at least three fold more wildlife and birds than a cat, not counting eggs. Mustelids basically drove the kakapo to extinction.

bacon_waffle 5y ago
It's not really fair to say that there's no chance of getting rid of cats in NZ, might be more accurate to say it's not something that will happen soon. As you point out, a good step would be to require cat registration, and in some areas that has very nearly become a reality in recent elections. I'm not a conservation expert, but think it's safe to say that the answer to your question is a bit complicated. We have a national goal to be free of a list of predators including those by 2050 - it seems achievable, but only with a lot of work and political willpower. Stoats for instance can be killed with traps that cats can't get in to, so that's a useful tool in the more accessible areas where we still have pet cats to contend with. One of the more immediate issues in the big picture, is a small but vocal faction that's violently opposed to using a poison that is key in these efforts. To give some flavour, check out this recent and very well-done series: https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/fight-for-the-wild https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/fight-for-the-wild
mschuster91 5y ago
> Germany at least requires cats to be registered and have a chip or tatoo id. No, we don't. The only requirement is a chip + rabies shot if you are taking your cat, dog or ferret with you across other European countries (per directives 998/2003 resp. 576/2013). > My ex lives there, has lost her cat, it was captured by animal control and she had to pay a 300€ fine at the animal shelter to get it back. That is not a fine by the government, it is a charge from the shelter for the trap, medical checkout and accomodation cost.
- Smithalicious 5y ago
  Isn't it amazing how someone can steal your pet, then hold it for ransom to get it back, legally?