The Committee was considering a petition presented by Erica Rowlands in 2021, and heard submissions from the Ministry for Primary Industries and several other organisations, many of which were part of, or supportive of, the New Zealand Cat Management Strategy Group. The group promotes responsible cat ownership, balancing the views of cat owners and environmentalists. It collaborated with other organisations to produce a report in 2020 which contains recommendations for humanely managing cats to protect both cat welfare and the New Zealand environment.

In its report, the Committee stated:

Hon Eugenie Sage MP, Chairperson of the Environment Committee

We commend the petitioner and the other interested organisations that made submissions for their work and advocacy to improve the management of cats in New Zealand. We appreciate the companionship that pet cats provide to people. But we accept the evidence presented by submitters that the current, largely unregulated approach to cats does not serve the welfare of the large numbers of stray and feral cats. Moreover the stray and feral cat population decimates native wildlife.

 

We agree with submitters it is time to legislate a nationwide cat management framework based on the notion cats should be registered, desexed, and microchipped with appropriate exemptions. Such a framework already exists for dogs and we believe it is time to apply the same approach for cats. We consider that a nationally consistent approach to cat control would provide a more effective outcome than bylaws. Public education and gaining community support for change will need to go hand in hand with legislative and regulatory action but we note the significant and positive change in public attitudes to dog ownership since the enactment of the Dog Control Act in 1996.

In her petition, Ms Rowland noted the problems created by irresponsible cat owners:

It is widely known that cats cause a problem for native species, and that rescue groups face relentless battle against the effects of irresponsible owners. We have committed as a nation to invest in the goal of being predator free by 2050, but with no improvement in sight for the management of pet cats, or the elimination of feral populations. Requiring cats to be registered and desexed will reduce their populations, enforce responsible cat ownership, and protect our wildlife.

The Government was expected to respond to the Committee’s recommendation by 25 October, which is just 11 days after Election Day – so who knows what will happen.

The Committee noted in its report that the ACT Party does not believe that a national cat management framework is required.

» Read the Committee report

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1. Our latest shipment has just arrived from the manufacturer and we are once again able to offer black paddles in addition to our customary grey and merino.

2. We have changed the way we sell Oscillot in New Zealand. You can now buy your Oscillot system as a kit to cover a specific length of fence. These kits range from 2 metres (that’s one paddle plus two posts) all the way up to 100 metres. Here’s the full range.

3. Our Buy page has been updated to reflect this change and make it even easier to work out your requirements.

4. You can now shop online and pay by credit card (with no surcharge) or bank transfer.

5. Our prices now include GST.

6. And, to top it off, we have reduced the price of all products. On the larger kits, that means savings of hundreds of dollars. (If you’ve purchased from us recently, don’t worry, you paid the new lower prices!)

Whew, that’s a lot of changes!

We hope this makes it even easier to add Oscillot to your yard, and keep your cats safe at home.

Yes, we still offer our famous no-cost, no-obligation advice gained through years of experience in keeping cats safe!

And our free shipping offer applies to all orders over $500 including GST.

The post Black paddles, easy DIY kits, lower prices on Oscillot®! appeared first on CATFENCE.

29,683 animals were desexed through SPCA’s Snip’n’Chip campaign this year, at SPCA centres and in communities in Ashburton, Auckland, Central Hawke’s Bay, Dannevirke, Fielding, Gore, Greymouth, Hokitika, Hamilton, Hawera, Horowhenua, Kapiti Coast, Kawerau, Opotiki, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Taupo, Ruapehu, Taumarunui, Tokoroa, Wellington, Westport, Whanganui, and Whakatane.

Desexing a cat can cost hundreds of dollars, but Snip’n’Chip makes the surgical procedure more accessible by being free or low-cost.

“Desexing is one of the best things we can do for animal welfare in New Zealand. Additionally, microchipping means a lost animal can easily be reunited with its owner,” says SPCA CEO Andrea Midgen.

To put things into perspective, last year SPCA saw more than 9,886 cats and 17,348 kittens arrive at centres in need of help during ‘Kitten season’, which coincides with the summer months. SPCA centres are forced to hire extra staff just to manage the influx of animals.

“Not only does desexing help pets have a happier and healthier life, but it ensures they don’t unknowingly or unexpectedly reproduce a litter of animals who are at risk of being abused and neglected.”

Desexing has plenty of advantages other than the obvious of ensuring pregnancy is impossible and eliminating problems and significant risks associated with pregnancy and birth. Desexed cats are generally healthier and less likely to suffer from illnesses such as uterine infections, prostate problems, and certain cancers.

Desexing is also commonly known to reduce behavioural problems. Cats who haven’t been desexed run the risk of injury due to increased aggression and the desire to roam. Roaming can increase the risk of road accidents or getting lost.

“The aim for our campaigns is to reach out to those who may not have considered having their pet desexed, or may not be able to afford it, and provide pet owners who do not currently have a local vet to get to know one,” says Andrea.

“As always we are looking ahead, and in 2020 we have plans to expand Snip’n’Chip to even more communities, helping hundreds of people and thousands more animals in the process.”

14 December 2019

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Wilbur, the lucky cat

But it seems that Wilbur’s safe return to his owner, after 16 days away from home, owes an awful lot to good luck. As reported by the New Zealand Herald:

[the owner] first became aware that he might be in the city after noticing a post on a Lost and Found pet’s page on Facebook saying there was a “friendly ginger Tom hanging around the ED, does anybody want him”.

The Herald doesn’t say whether the helpful staff at Waikato Hospital had Wilbur scanned for a microchip (or whether Wilbur was chipped).

But too often we hear of free-roaming cats who don’t make it home safely.

Please keep your cat safe from harm, by keeping your cat at home.

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Palmerston North City Council building. Photo: PNCC

Palmerston North City Council’s new Animals and Bees Bylaw 2018 comes into effect on 1 July. Here is an overview of the key changes affecting cats and their owners:

1. Council has made it mandatory for cat owners to microchip their cats, and have the microchip registered with the New Zealand Companion Animals Register.
2. All cats over six months of age must be desexed. These new requirements only apply to cats born after 1 July 2018. Cat owners are responsible for the cost of these procedures. Registered cat breeders are exempt from having to desex cats kept for breeding purposes.
3. There are no changes to the number of cats you can keep in the urban area (set at three cats) but if you want to keep more than three cats per dwelling in the urban area you will need to seek a permit from Council.

Read more on the Palmerston North City Council website.

29 June 2018

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We had a great time at the NZCF National Show in Wellington this past weekend. Thank you to all the organisers, volunteers, judges and exhibitors – and especially to the wonderful cats! Check out some photos from the show below.

We also enjoyed a visit with Richelle and Ken at Neko-Ngeru Cat Adoption Cafe in Petone and thanks to them for helping homeless cats find forever homes.

The post 2018 New Zealand National Cat Show appeared first on CATFENCE.

An aerial image showing the travels of New Plymouth cat ‘Dingles’ during daytime.

We’ve written before about the studies, where researchers put GPS trackers on people’s cats, and then show them where their pet has travelled.

Invariably, cat owners are amazed at how far their pets wander, often crossing busy streets in the process.

The latest such research is from New Plymouth.

You can read the story on stuff.co.nz.

[22 Nov 2017]

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with her cat Paddles, who died on 8 Nov 2917 after being hit by a car

Paddles, the famous “First Cat of New Zealand,” was killed by a car yesterday in Auckland.

Paddles was a polydactyl from the SPCA, and she become a worldwide sensation on Twitter when her mum, Jacinda Ardern, became the country’s Prime Minister last month.

We are so sad for Jacinda Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford. But most of all we are sad for Paddles.

We will continue doing all we can to protect cats. If you have a cat, please think about how to keep your cat safe. We are happy to advise.

[8 Nov 2017]

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With an Oscillot system, your cat is free to roam – at home.

Great news! A proposal that could lead to compulsory microchipping and some form of registration for cats has become official policy for Local Government New Zealand. The proposal gained 51% approval yesterday at an annual meeting of LGNZ, which represents local governments.

Now that it is the official policy of LGNZ, the organisation will lobby the Government to develop legislation to allow them to control cats.

The proposal was put forward by the Dunedin City Council and has the support of SPCA in Otago, which says it could help increase the numbers of cats reunited with owners after turning up at its facilities.

Read more

[26 Jul 2017]

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Cat containment is one part of the proposed National Cat Management Strategy

As you’ve probably seen and heard by now, the National Cat Management Strategy Group yesterday released its draft National Cat Strategy for consultation.

The NCMSG is a self-appointed lobby group including organisations such as the SPCA, the NZ Veterinary Association and, not surprisingly given their high visibility recently, the Morgan Foundation. For some odd reason, they don’t appear to have a website.

I’ve just finished reading the draft cat management strategy (it’s 116 pages) and there are many elements of it which we support.

For companion cats (as opposed to stray or feral cats) the overall thrust is to encourage responsible cat ownership, including universal microchipping, desexing and – our area of expertise – containment.

Containment of cats is not yet commonly considered an important component of responsible cat ownership in New Zealand. However, preventing cats from roaming has the potential not only to prevent unwanted reproduction but also to prevent wildlife predation, minimise community nuisance, minimise toxoplasmosis transmission and reduce the risk to the cat of contracting diseases and becoming injured or killed from traffic, fighting, dogs and human cruelty…¹

and we certainly agree that introducing cat containment will take time and education:

Nation-wide responsible cat ownership education programs and legilsation to encourage and reinforce responsible ownership with the aim of:

• Increasing acceptance and implementation of cat containment, especially in areas of high conservation value. Measures to ensure suitably enriched containment for cats to safeguard cat welfare must be included.²

As the strategy’s authors note, there is a lack of data to support many of their proposals and I think that’s where the draft will benefit from feedback.

For example, any proposal to impose a curfew on roaming cats needs to be justified on the basis that cats are more likely to kill wildlife at night. It’s a popular belief, but needs to verified.

Another is the suggestion to limit the number of cats on a property, or owned by an individual. If those cats are contained on the property, well cared for, and not causing a nuisance, then it really shouldn’t matter how many cats there are.

But overall, it’s great to see the effort and thought that has gone into preparing a document which we hope will get people thinking and talking about responsible cat ownership.

Full draft strategy document [PDF]

Footnotes
¹ Page 55
² Page 11

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