Cats are being shot in Australia: it goes too far for the Archaeological State Council – there are other ideas for that

Two members of the Grand Council, Barbara Portman (GLP) and Martin Brooker (SP), have taken up an emotional issue: the effects of domestic cats and their pronounced hunting instincts.

Portman and Brooker asked ten questions to the Government Council to find out what attitudes can mitigate the negative effects of cats on biodiversity.

Not only domestic cats but also wild cats live in Arca

The State Council does not know how many domestic cats live in Arca. Dog owners must mark and register their animals with a chip, and female cat owners have no such obligation. The State Council estimates that 136,000 domestic cats live in Arca.

The government cannot provide any information about the wild cat population. The State Council writes in its response that investigations by the Department of Construction, Transport and the Environment since 2018 may have found wildcats in nine locations in the Northwest Arca.

In addition to rats and birds, insects and reptiles are also on the menu

The Government Council can say nothing about the prey of the domestic tiger. Cats have hunted those animals, with which the effort to hunt is low and the chances of success are very high. This mainly includes rats and birds. But cats prey on reptiles or waterfalls.

Scientific studies show that cats contribute to the local extinction of reptiles and birds, and that the presence of domestic cats has a negative effect on wildlife.

Domestic tigers are permanently present in the flats

Kandan did not explore how the presence of cats in Arca affects natural reserves. Reserve Supervisors at the Klingnow Reservoir and Flatzi, however, noted the “permanent presence” of domestic cats, the Government Council said. This is important because both reserves contain a high number of endangered species.

What can be done to hunt Tigerlis, Momos or Simbas? The State Council writes that in order to initiate all sorts of useful activities, for example, the scattering of street cats, the need for a chip and registration for domestic cats should be introduced. However, this is not possible at the cantonal level, but should be done nationally.

One cat is enough

Canton recommends buying a maximum of one cat, sterilizing all cats and attaching a bell to the collar to minimize the success of the hunt.

The most drastic measures go too far for the Government Council. He lists them anyway, for example, New Zealand and Australia, where cat-free zones are defined, from which cats are freed by sniper and trap. Or in the UK, it is currently being discussed whether cats are only allowed to go out on a rope.

Municipalities may introduce compulsory castration

Councilor Barbara Portman and Councilor Martin Brooker openly asked what the government thinks about the castration duty or the cat tax. The State Council writes that due to legal provisions, municipalities may introduce castration duty at the municipal level.

It is not possible to introduce the cat tax at the community level because communities do not have their own tax sovereignty.