SPCA 'extremely concerned' about feral cat hunting competition for kids

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

From reporter Sinead Gill:

A cat believed to have owners died painfully of sepsis following an air rifle wound – and while it’s unclear if it’s linked to a hunting competition for children, it highlights the risk of “unnecessary pain and distress” for the animals targeted, the SPCA says.

Hunters aged 14 or younger are being offered a $250 cash prize for whoever can kill the most feral cats in North Canterbury over the next two and a half months.

It is part of the annual North Canterbury Hunting Competition, a beloved community event and fundraiser for Rotherham School and pool. There is also a $4600 spot prize for junior hunters in the form of a kids motorbike.

Junior hunters have from April 15 until late June to kill as many cats they can. The new category was met almost entirely with praise by locals when it was launched, but some have since expressed concern that most people, let alone children, would not be able to tell the difference between feral and non-feral cats.

One domesticated cat may already be a casualty, though the SPCA said a link was not certain.

Inspectorate team leader Sam Cairns said a North Canterbury cat was taken into the SPCA on Monday with an air rifle pellet wound. It later died from sepsis.

The cat was handed in by a member of the public. The SPCA had yet to locate an owner, but the cat was microchipped and desexed.

“While we are uncertain of whether this cat was shot during the [hunting] event, it demonstrates that the use of an air rifle caused unnecessary pain and distress for the cat,” a spokesperson said.

Cairns recommended people use lostpet.co.nz and relevant social media pages to find their missing pets.

“These are very sad situations, causing a painful death for the cat and distress to those who’ve lost a pet.”

An SPCA spokesperson said the charity was “extremely concerned” about the competition, which could see domestic pets and strays caught in the crossfire.

The likelihood of air rifles being used could increase pain, distress, and the chance of prolonged death for the targeted animals.

The organisation was investigating the cat’s death and making inquiries with competition organisers, but had yet to receive a response. The SPCA noted on social media that the event itself was not breaking any laws.

On a now-deleted social media post by competition organisers, which opened the junior competition on April 15, participants were warned anyone found with a microchipped cat in their bounty would be eliminated.

Margaret Maguire, a former sponsor and local, said she feared for her cats’ safety, particularly her cat George, and others like him who were born feral but raised domestically.

“The animal would have to be dead before they know [it was chipped].”

Maguire was raised rurally and understood the importance of pest control, but was doubtful that most people, let alone children, could tell the difference between her domesticated farm cats and wild ones, she said.

Feral cats were considered cats who lived independently of humans, and were not the same as stray and house cats, which had varying interactions and dependence on people.

Craig Gillies, a principal science adviser for DOC, said the difference in appearance was “virtually impossible” to tell.

Feral cats had a major impact on native wildlife, and its introduction as a category was mostly met with praise by locals.

Gillies said DOC “absolutely” supported the control of feral cats, as they had a major impact on native wildlife, but it had to be “undertaken by experienced people using approved humane methods”.

That included equipment of the correct calibre, used by trained professionals.

The competition ends on the weekend of June 23 to 25.

Competition organisers declined to comment until before a formal meeting on Tuesday evening.