Tell the Australian Environment Minister, Greg Hunt and Gregory Andrews, the country's first Threatened-Species Commissioner to stop killing feral cats!

Australia has declared "war" on feral cats. The federal government plans to kill 2 million feral cats by 2020.[1] They claim the feral cats are to blame for native small mammal species becoming close to extinction. Cats are predators and excellent hunters but that cannot be held against them. It is their instinct just like any other animal to find food to sustain life.

All of Australia's states and territories have agreed to list feral cats as "pests." The government is planning on "unleashing every weapon in its arsenal" to kill over 2 million feral cats. On top of that they are providing $5 million to community groups for foot soldiers. The bulk of the government funding for the plan will go to administering the culls, which will involve baiting, shooting or poisoning feral cats.[2] This is NOT the most humane or effective solution!

Trap, neuter and release(TNR) is the best way to handle overpopulation. This method humanely traps cats, then they are spayed or neutered, and then returned to their colony. TNR is cost-effective and an efficient way of lowering the feral cat population. A study done by University of Central Florida found a reduction of 85% of the cat population over 11 years with TNR. [3] TNR helps maintain the ecological balance of predator and prey. If all the cats are removed then the prey will be overpopulated. The large increase in prey population can devastate the vegetation and other species of the area. A gradual decline in the number of feral cats with TNR will allow the prey population to increase slowly and maintain balance in the local ecosystem.

Australia has one of the worst extinction records in the world with 1,800 species listed as under threat. That is not all because of feral cats. Let us not forget humans and our impact on their environment and resources.

Sign now to tell Australia to adopt TNR to reduce the number of feral cats. The best way to preserve native small mammal species and feral cats can be a humane solution where both co-exist. Killing one species to preserve another is not ethical.
More About This Issue

[1] Power, J. (2017, February 16). Feral cats: Killing animals that define Australia as nation. Retrieved November 24, 2017, from http://www.smh.com.au/national/war-on-feral-cats-australia-aims-to-cull-2-million-20170214-gucp4o.html

[2]Tharoor, I. (2015, July 16). Australia actually declares war on cats, plans to kill 2 million by 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/16/australia-actually-declares-war-on-cats-plans-to-kill-2-million-by-2020/?utm_term=.5797f0847d02

[3]Community cats: scientific studies and data. (2017, November 20). Retrieved November 24, 2017, from https://www.animalsheltering.org/page/community-cats-scientific-studies-and-data#numbers