Stuff them in a roll or slap them on a piece of white bread; sausages are a Kiwi classic. Stoats and feral cats have a taste for them too.

Cats are the eighth-most populous species in the world. But, as invasive species across many continents, their popularity comes at a tremendous cost.

Feral cats live on every continent except Antarctica. But even though they can live almost anywhere, some habitats are more appealing than others. 

Why are we quickly falling behind in managing cats? We need only look across the ditch to see how a different cat-management reality could be playing out in Aotearoa New Zealand.

When four-legged predators first arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand, the native wildlife didn’t know what had hit them.

Dr Helen Blackie from Boffa Miskell talks about some of the latest technologies to control introduced predators in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Researchers have calculated that the total number of feral cats in Australia in largely natural landscapes averages 2.07 million.

Feral cats are nocturnal, elusive creatures and can range up to 6 kilometres, making monitoring difficult. So how do you go about detecting them?

Barbara Clarke’s cats, Sammy and Smudge enjoy a fantastic view over the Pukawa bush but that’s as close as they get to the rich birdlife in the forest.

When scientists studying a Norway rat colony in New York had some wild cats moved in on the experiment, they watched the presence of cats and how their behaviour influenced the presence and behaviour of the rats.

The rats that your cat brings home may not be the biggest ones out there, according to international research into cat/rat hunting dynamics.

Trials are in full swing down in the Southern Ocean exploring whether it’s possible to rid Auckland Island of its three remaining introduced predators.

It seems that everyone in New Zealand has an opinion and a significant proportion of us own at least one companion cat – but what is actually known about the multiple roles of urban cats in New Zealand?tt

While PFNZ Trust focuses on 5 key introduced predator species, we acknowledge that domestic pets – both cats and dogs – are also introduced predators and are potential killers of native wildlife if allowed to stray.

Sabrina Luecht never expected she would one day become a proud cat owner. Her work, after all, revolves around saving native birds.