Regionwide cat control a 'win for biodiversity'

New rules for cats across the Nelson Tasman region have been aligned after Nelson City Council approved a suite of new rules last week.

Nelson's cat management bylaw will come into effect from 19 December.

From that date, all new cats over the age of four months must be microchipped, desexed, and registered on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register.

Existing cats do not have to comply with the rules until the end of the 18-month transition period on 1 June 2026.

Microchipping allows a cat's owner to be identified at the vet clinic where it was registered.

Adding the microchip to the national register allows the cat to be identified by any vet or approved agent, such as an SPCA branch.

Identification, in addition to keeping pets and owners united, will protect pet cats from recently-expanded feral cat trapping measures being undertaken across the region.

The desexing requirement is hoped to limit the number of unwanted cats across the city by curbing the number of unplanned litters.

A cat is exempt from the desexing requirement if it is kept for breeding purposes and registered with a nationally recognised cat breeders' body, or issued with a certificate from a registered veterinarian stating that desexing would adversely affect its health or welfare.

Enforcement of the rules is expected to be light, with Nelson councillor Matty Anderson highlighting there would be no "cat cops" and the bylaw was more akin to "friendly guidance".

Nelson's bylaw is almost identical to Tasman's which was adopted in late November and instead limits its requirements to cats over six months rather than four, and comes into force two weeks later on 1 January.

The two bylaws will work in conjunction with the region's joint pest management plan which was recently updated to include feral cats.

Mayor Nick Smith thought the new bylaw was "pretty exciting".

A former Minister of Conservation, he recalled past Cabinet discussions about cat management had featured concerns about public opposition to control measures.

"It's a real tribute to the advocacy and increased public awareness of the harm that is caused by cats, particularly to our native birds, that has enabled us to get to this bylaw."

He said that "literally millions" of native birds are killed by feral cats each year and that the new bylaw balanced the harm and nuisance caused by cats with "reasonable" rules.

Councillor Rachel Sanson said the coordinated approach with Tasman was "stellar" and would help manage the "negative impacts" of all cats across the region.

She said the council had been slow to act because of the lack of government leadership on the issue, "but at least in Nelson Tasman, we have finally made that step."

Deputy mayor Rohan O'Neill-Stevens said the new rules would bring cats in line with other animals, like poultry, livestock, and dogs, which are already regulated.

"They can be, as any good cat-lover knows, little menaces. That's why we need appropriate management steps."

They described the bylaw as a "common-sense win for biodiversity".

"It's a win for our cats, and ultimately it's a win for our whole community."

Councillor Matthew Benge said the bylaw was a "very necessary step" but thought it should go further in seeing all cats that were not microchipped and desexed declared feral.

He was concerned about the impacts of toxoplasmosis - a "terrible" disease transmitted by cats to other mammals - and wildlife predation caused by feral cats.

"In some ways, we didn't go far enough with this … Hopefully we can take a step forward in getting rid of our feral cats."

Councillor Tim Skinner acknowledged the benefits of microchipping but thought the council should not be making the measure mandatory. He was the only councillor to vote against the bylaw.

Nelson and Tasman's bylaws, and their pest management plan, will all be reviewed in five years.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.