i love my cat, he is sociable, friendly and very tame, but he is a ruthless serial killer, often torturing birds by catching them, injuring them, releasing them, and catching them again. he kills 3-4 birds a week, usually sparrows and thrushes, and never eats them. with over a million cats in NZ, the numbers of their victims would be phenomenal. i have bought collars with bells on for my cat but somehow he gets the bell off every time.
i think putting a registration fee on cats would discourage "cat lady" type behaviour and help to keep the numbers down. i also think that neutering of cats should be widely available free or much cheaper than it is now. also possibly implement a limit on how many cats one household can have.
if anybody from auckland would like to have their cat neutered, get in touch with my friend danielle at www.gutterkitties.co.nz as she arranges neutering for only $20.