Feral cats live, hunt and reproduce in the wild. They have the body shape, acute senses and fine coordination perfectly suited for stalking and capturing prey. These traits have allowed feral cats to adapt to some of Australia’s harshest conditions and invade almost all parts of the continent.
Feral cats need large amounts of fresh meat to survive and reproduce. In Australia they mainly eat small native and exotic mammals, birds, lizards and insects. About 80 endangered and threatened species are at risk from feral cat predation in Australia. Feral cats also carry diseases which can affect humans and other animals.
Cats probably arrived in Australia as pets of European settlers and were later deliberately introduced in an attempt to control rabbits and rodents. Cats now occupy 99% of Australia, including many offshore islands.
Learn More 
- Feral cat – humaneness matrix - Matrix showing the relative humaneness of feral cat control methods. The ‘humaneness’ of a pest animal control method refers to the overall welfare impact that the method has on an […]
- Feral cats in Australia - Feral cats live, hunt and reproduce in the wild. They are the same species as domestic cats but differ in how and where they live. Feral cats have the body shape, acute senses and fine coordination perfectly suited for stalking and capturing prey.
- Priorities for effective feral cat management released - Outcomes and recommendations from the 2015 National Feral Cat Workshop released to determine how to effectively protect our native fauna through feral cat management
- 2015 National Feral Cat Management Workshop Proceedings - These proceedings outline high impact research and innovation priorities and national actions for feral cats
- New feral cat app to protect wildlife - Feral cats are in the spotlight with the release of a feral cat mapping and reporting app called FeralCatScan
- National feral cat workshop in Canberra - National workshop to discuss advances and potential new directions in feral cat management
- In the dark about feral cat numbers - How many feral cats are there in Australia? That is the big unknown according to a research study
- Proceedings of the National Feral Cat Management Workshop - Domestic cats (Felis catus) were brought to Australia by the first European settlers from the late 18th century and feral populations quickly established. Feral cats are now common throughout most […]
Act
- Feral cat – humaneness matrix - Matrix showing the relative humaneness of feral cat control methods. The ‘humaneness’ of a pest animal control method refers to the overall welfare impact that the method has on an […]
- CAT001: Ground shooting of feral cats - Shooting is one of the main methods currently used for feral cat control however it is labour intensive and not considered an effective broad-scale control method. It may be of […]
- CAT002: Trapping of feral cats using cage traps - Although cage trapping is considered an ineffective tool for large areas, it may be useful in urban/residential areas where domestic cats are present, or where populations have already been reduced […]
- CAT003: Trapping of feral cats using padded-jaw traps - Live trapping followed by euthanasia is one of the main methods of feral cat control currently used. In urban/residential areas, cage traps are preferred over leg hold traps as fewer […]
Standard Operating Procedures – feral cat control
- CAT001: Ground shooting of feral cats - Shooting is one of the main methods currently used for feral cat control however it is labour intensive and not considered an effective broad-scale control method. It may be of […]
- CAT002: Trapping of feral cats using cage traps - Although cage trapping is considered an ineffective tool for large areas, it may be useful in urban/residential areas where domestic cats are present, or where populations have already been reduced […]
- CAT003: Trapping of feral cats using padded-jaw traps - Live trapping followed by euthanasia is one of the main methods of feral cat control currently used. In urban/residential areas, cage traps are preferred over leg hold traps as fewer […]
- GEN001: Methods of euthanasia - The word euthanasia means an easy death and should be regarded as an act of humane killing with the minimum of pain, fear and distress. Euthanasia of a range of […]
- GEN003: Trapping using soft net traps - Soft net traps consist of a flexible metal frame and netting and/or bag which collapses over the animal when triggered. Soft net traps rely on entanglement to secure and hold […]
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Case studies
- Case study: By-laws for management of cats on Kangaroo Island, South Australia - A case study demonstrating effective management of domestic and feral cats on Kangaroo Island
- Case study: Feral cat spray tunnel trials on Kangaroo Island - A case study on experimental trials to help develop effective feral cat control on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island
Videos
- Feral cats in Australia: Part 1 – History and Population - YouTube video: Chris Dickman is a Professor in Terrestrial Ecology at the School of Biological Sciences, Sydney University. He has studied interactions between native and introduced species in the arid […]
- Feral cats in Australia - YouTube video playlist: Feral cats live, hunt and reproduce in the wild. They have the body shape, acute senses and fine coordination perfectly suited for stalking and capturing prey. These […]