Why are feral cats considered pests in New Zealand?

As of 2025 Feral Cats have been added to the targeted predators list for Predator Free 2050.

Feral cats are widespread across Aotearoa New Zealand, from farmland to native forests. They place significant pressure on native wildlife such as birds, bats, lizards, and insects, and can spread toxoplasmosis—impacting marine life like dolphins, posing risks to people, and causing economic losses for farmers through livestock deaths. They’re not simply stray cats – strays still interact with human beings when it suits them. Feral cats live in the wild and don’t interact with or rely on human beings at all. 

Feral cats are a major threat to our wildlife, impacting on almost all wildlife habitats below the snow line. Here, they prey on rabbits, birds and bird eggs, rats, hares, bats, lizards, mice, wētā, and other insects. Sadly, many of our bird, lizard, and bat species are classified as either at risk or endangered. Ground-nesting birds such as dotterels, black stilts, and kiwi are particularly vulnerable to predation by feral cats.

Feral cat control in New Zealand is essential to protect and enhance our native species, particularly those that are endangered or at risk.

Feral cat control products
Got a feral cat problem? We can help, whether your problem’s big or small. Our feral cat control products are more humane, environmentally friendly, and innovative.
We’ve got:

– Toxins and traps – to deal with the feral cat problem humanely
– Bait stations – to put toxic baits and prefeed in
– Lures and prefeed (non-toxic) – to attract feral cats to toxic baits or traps