Macleay Landcare Network Inc

Macleay Hastings Landcare Feral Cat Workshops

Keep your ferals out, and your domestics in. That’s the message on how to reduce the impact of cats on our native wildlife.

Macleay Hastings Landcare Feral Cat Workshops

Keep your ferals out, and your domestics in. That’s the message on how to reduce the impact of cats on our native wildlife.

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The issue

Feral cats have been ranked to pose the greatest threat to Australia’s native mammals. They have contributed to the extinction of at least 28 mammal species since they first arrived in Australia, and they continue to wreak havoc to around a third of our threatened mammals, reptiles, frogs and birds. At least 120 of these species occur on the NSW North Coast region and include known threatened species.

The solution

Macleay Landcare Network teamed up with Hastings Landcare to run public workshops in Kempsey and Wauchope to highlight the impact of cats on native wildlife and to advise residents on how to manage them. In the environment cats can have different ‘lifestyles’ as either domestic, stray, or feral cats, and individuals may transition between these categories. Rather than recommending a one-size-fits-all approach the workshops featured a variety of issues and management strategies in response to these different cat ‘lifestyles’.

Attendees to the workshop were motivated by removing feral or stray cats from the landscape to protect wildlife. Hence a program of speakers was chosen to support landholders to undertake cat trapping activities. Hosting the workshop on a Land for Wildlife property was a strategic decision to reach this motivated audience.

The impact

The workshop program featured a local wildlife ecologist, Local Government Rangers, Local Land Services Biosecurity Officers, and Landcare representatives. The topics covered in the workshops included:

  • The different behaviour of domestic, stray, and feral cats;
  • The principles of responsible cat ownership;
  • The use of track pads, remote cameras, and trapping techniques;
  • The legal and animal welfare implications of trapping cats;
  • The support available to property owners undertaking feral animal control activities.

An inspection of the trapping setup employed on the Land for Wildlife property was particularly useful for participants to see. Participant survey results indicated an increase in participants knowledge and confidence to undertake feral cat control activities following the workshop.

This project is supported by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Landcare NSW Incorporated through funding received from the Established Pest Animals and Weeds initiative, part of the Australian Government’s Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper, the government’s plan for stronger farmers and a stronger economy.

Key facts

  • Feral cats have been ranked to pose the greatest threat to Australia’s native mammals.
  • Cats can be either domestic, stray, or feral in their behaviour, with each requiring a different response.
  • Trapping programs require an understanding of effective trapping technique, and the relevant legal and animal welfare responsibilities.

Project Partners