Cats are the most common companion animals in New Zealand. However, cats are also predators, and may hunt native wildlife, including birds, lizards and insects.
New Zealand’s native wildlife is highly vulnerable as they evolved in the absence of mammalian predators and many have little protection against introduced predators like cats.
Forest & Bird encourages cat owners to minimize the impact their pets have on native wildlife. You can find out how to be a responsible cat owner by reading our fact sheet:
