The Parliamentary Inquiry into the Management of Cats in NSW had its first public hearing on Monday 16 December 2024.

In response to calls from the Invasive Species Council representative Jack Gough, the inquiry Chairperson, Emma Hurst, Animal Justice Party, seemed to be most concerned about an aspect  that may result from a finding that required cat containment, contending that this would put pressure on local government facilities such as animal pounds being overwhelmed, that there would be an increase in the number of cats being euthenased and the consequent pressure this would place on vets.

These may well be some of the consequences, but surely they don’t outweigh the desperate need to protect native wildlife from being predated on by roaming domestic cats – allowed to do so by irresponsible cat owners, who would like to consider themselves carers of this introduced species let loose into the suburbs and bushland.

Surely the onus must be placed fairly and squarely on cat owners. After all cats have a safe place to return after a night’s hunting and killing spree. Where do innocent native species retreat to escape when cats stalk, climb trees and terrorise, knowing they won’t be subjected to any discipline or sent to a cat correctional centre.

If the impediments put up by Emma Hurst are not challenged then her preferred option of Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) will be the recommendation to parliament.

The reasoning for this is flawed and not supported by sound science.

The NSW government should not be expected to foot the bill for the expenses needed to bring this change to the Companion Animal Act (CAA) into law.  A levy placed on the pet food industry would be the fairest and most equitable way to do this …..

Those from  the wildlife conservation community should not be expected to contribute for cat containment. Wildlife rescue and other associated groups are already doing their level best to care for wildlife injured cats allowed to roaming cats without having more impositions placed on them.

The TNR approach is simply kicking the problem down the road all the while countenancing the deaths of millions of native animals left to cope with an increasingly hostile cat population propped up by their human handler’s intent on shirking their responsibilities.

A further inquiry will then have to deal with an even more stark situation and a more emboldened cat lobby.

There is a sobering statement from within Aboriginal culture that was brought to the fore by Professor Lynette Russell, Anthropological Historian and Wotjobaluk Descendant, Monash University, in the ABC series Eat the Invaders, Episode 2 (at the 20:00 / 29:00 minute location). “The early Australians did not understand the difference between nature and culture. They have these two things as being absolutely separate.  But for indigenous people that makes no sense at all. The land is culture and the country is culture.”

Tony Armstrong: “What do you think of the people who brought the carp here?” (we could substitute cats at this point).

“I don’t think they deserve a medal. This is a different  land, different country, different rules.”

Edward Wilson knew exactly what was being done, says Lynette Russell who quotes from an editorial he wrote in 1850 …

This country has been has been embarrassingly stolen from the blacks, annihilated from their own land.

He’s taking responsibility, and that’s powerful stuff. We need to heal the land, so that the land can heal us.

Edward Wilson evolved his attitude to see and acknowledge the harm done.

We need to do likewise. This inquiry needs to do likewise.

In Episode 5, Eat the Invaders – Cats …

Tony Armstrong:  “This is a story about Australia’s most damaging species – not the cat – us. This is not a cat problem, this is a human problem and its up to us to fix it.”

We need to rapidly change our perception based on sound science, that roaming domestic cats are the antithesis for native wildlife.

They must be contained for their own good, but more urgently for the betterment of the native species they currently predate on with no predators to keep them in check.

That being the case, we need cat containment as the best of all possible worlds so as to balance the scales in favour of native species – which should have been our first priority negating the need for this inquiry in the first place.