A controversial cat colony in Paihia could be eventually relocated to a purpose-built enclosure to allay concerns about their welfare or preying on native birdlife.
Paihia pensioner Betty Chapman and a group of cat-loving volunteers have been feeding a colony of stray and dumped cats in central Paihia for several years.
The colony hit the headlines last year after conservation group Bay Bush Action, which is working to restore wildlife in the nearby Opua Forest, approached the Far North District Council about people feeding the cats on a council reserve.
The Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board resolved in April 2013 to remove a cat-feeding facility the volunteers had built on Williams House Historic Reserve.
The move sparked outrage among cat lovers and an international email and social media campaign against councillors and community board members. Then Mayor Wayne Brown added fuel to the fire with his acerbic responses to some of the American campaigners.
Since then the catfight has continued between different factions of the Paihia community, with some continuing to feed the colony's nine cats and others trying to remove food as soon as it is put out.