Cats

Gisborne District Council provides the services of a contractor for pest cat control for properties in urban areas.

Feral, stray or pest cats

Feral cats are any cat that is not being actively cared for that lives in the wild.  They are solitary and predominantly nocturnal and survive by hunting for their food.
Feral cats are always timid around people.   They are usually short haired, slightly built, with a large head and have very sharp features.
Once caught in a cage they will act aggressively, hissing, growling and spraying. Feral cats do not meow or purr - this is a trait of contented domestic cats only.

Stray, unwanted or pest cats are un-owned, they're domestic cats that have been abandoned or strayed from their owners. They generally rely on people for some of their food and shelter and are timid around people.

Who is responsible for the control of feral and pest cats?

Feral cats are classified as 'Limited Control Animal Pests' in the Gisborne district.  Property owners are responsible for the destruction.

Gisborne District Council provides the services of a contractor for the control of pest and stray cats on properties in urban areas.

How to control feral, stray and pest cats

There are 2 options available for the control of feral, stray and pest cats - trapping or shooting.

Trapping

Live capture trapping is the best method for stray or pest cats.  This way if a domestic pet cat is caught it can be released unharmed. 
Council's contractor can lend a trap for cats causing problems on residential property or public land in an urban area.  The contractor can also assist with the removal and destruction of the cat if you cannot do it.  

The areas the contract applies to includes:

• Gisborne city 
• Wainui
• Makorori
• Manutuke
• Patutahi
• Ormond

Properties and areas not covered by the contract can use the services of the contractor to trap and remove cats, but must pay for the service.  They include:

• rural properties
• residential properties not in an urban area listed above
• commercial or industrial property
• organisations and institutions such as hospitals and schools

The contractor will:

• give advice and provide a cat trap.  If a trap is provided, a terms of agreement document is required to be signed for the use of the trap. 
  If you live in an urban area you will need to get your neighbour's signature on a user agreement form.
• assist with disposal of the cat if the property owner cannot do this (for urban areas only)
• only destroy cats that cannot be re-homed. The contractor is not responsible for re-homing cats.  Contact the SPCA for cat re-homing
• make arrangements for payment and service with non-residential customers.

You can also loan a trap from Council, but we don't dispose or destroy any trapped cats.

Fill in our eFix form to request the services of the contractor or if you want to loan a trap. 
If you live in an urban area, you will need to get your neighbours' signatures on the Cat Trap - User Agreement Form 
Once you've got your neighbours' signatures you contact the contractor and give him the form.

Shooting

Night shooting with a spotlight is an effective way to control feral cats in rural areas. Talk to your neighbours before you do any night shooting.  Pet cats in the area must be kept indoors on nights when shooting is to take place.  Extreme care is needed especially around lifestyle block areas. All provisions of the gun laws must be complied with.

 Contact us for any advice or information.

Always spay or neuter your cat

To minimise the number of unwanted or feral cats, all domestic cats should be neutered, even if they are farm cats. De-sexing both male and female cats is essential. A single unspayed female cat can produce 3 litters per year, with an average of 4 to 6 kittens per litter.  De-sexing cats:

• avoids unwanted behaviour such as spraying, yowling and roaming
• is better for the cat’s health; males have less chance of being injured in fights and females will have a reduced chance of mammary cancer
• avoids unwanted litters of kittens.

Never abandon or dump a cat.  If you don’t want a pet anymore or it has kittens you can’t keep, do not abandon them – contact the SPCA or take them to the vet to have them re-homed or put to sleep.

Abandoned cats suffer in the wild; most of them lead a miserable existence. They do not know how to fend for themselves and often starve to death. They also contribute to the stray and feral cat problem.