There are more than 2.5 million feral cats living in Aotearoa, a number that is climbing. Photo: AFP
A South Island conservation group is calling for feral cats to be added to the government's Predator Free 2050 strategy.
There are more than 2.5 million feral cats living in Aotearoa, a number that is climbing.
The government has confirmed a review of the strategy will take place next year with public consultation.
Southern Lakes Sanctuary catches and culls feral cats that threaten native species near Lakes Wānaka and Whakatipu.
Project director Paul Kavanagh said urgent funding was needed to humanely control the pests, as the non-profit was facing a funding cliff next June.
That was where including feral cats in the strategy could help generate more funding and improve the sanctuary's resourcing, he said.
"The reproductive potential of a single female cat is estimated at 300 kittens in her reproductive lifetime.
"This means the feral cat population is increasing significantly every week, and we need to ramp up our efforts to control these populations to save our native taonga species."
Male feral cats caught in the South Island high country can weigh up to 10 kilograms.
"It's important to distinguish the difference between types of cats. We are absolutely not talking about domestic, companion cats here, or stray cats, which depend on ad-hoc human interaction.
"We are trying to decrease the widespread population of wild, feral cats which are destroying our endangered birds and reptiles."
