Please note our Whitianga office will be closed to the public on Tuesday, 16 September and Wednesday, 17 September 2025. You can still contact our staff on freephone 0800 800 401 or via an online form.

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  3. Feral cats
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Management programme
Site-led (Hūnua Ranges Pest Management Area)
Objective
Provide advice and information on feral cats (Waikato Regional Council) and reduce their impacts within the Hūnua Ranges Pest Management Area (Auckland Council).
Impacts
Biodiversity

Feral cats (Felis catus) are unowned, unsocialised, and have no relationship with or dependence on humans. They often look scruffy and may be very wary of people. Cats prey on birds, lizards, frogs and insects, including many native species. Cats can carry tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis and parasites which are all harmful to humans.

Feral cats live in a wide range of habitats throughout the Waikato region, including coastal areas, farmland, forests, riverbeds and even sub-alpine environments. They are very territorial and have large home ranges of between 30 hectares and 80 hectares in size. Feral cats are mainly active at night.

Image - Feral cat

How can I control feral cats?

There are a range of control tools available for feral cats, with trapping the most effective and easiest.

Predator Free New Zealand and Bionet have best practice advice on their websites for landowners and community groups on how to undertake feral cat control.

You can also speak to one of our pest animal staff for advice and information on controlling feral cats on freephone 0800 800 401.

 

Responsibility for control

Auckland Council is responsible for the site-led pest management programme within the Hūnua Ranges Pest Management Area.

In relation to feral cats, within this area:

  • No person shall abandon or release, or cause to abandon or release to the wild, any cat in the Hūnua Ranges Pest Management Area (rule HŪNUA-4 of the Waikato Regional Pest Management Plan 2022-2032).
  • No person shall actively assist in the maintenance of any feral cat or feral cat population in the Hūnua Ranges Pest Management Area (rule HŪNUA-5 of the RPMP 2022-2032).

Hūnua Ranges Pest Management Area

Map - Hunua Ranges Pest Management Area
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More information

  • For information and advice on feral cat control, contact Waikato Regional Council on freephone 0800 800 401.
  • For information in relation to the Hūnua Ranges Pest Management Area, contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101 or email pestfree@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
  • If you are wanting to report stray or feral cat issues, please contact your local territory authority.