Editorial: Splitting words over cats

It seems in this situation, the law is an ass.At the risk of poking a feline hornets' nest again, there are a couple of points about Paihia's cat colony that need airing.

Firstly, I have been taken to task for insinuating that the Paihia cats are feral, and breed.

Those who care for them assert they are stray - not feral.

A well written letter (published in full in tomorrow's Advocate) from Carolyn Ravlich states: "There are three legally recognised categories of cat in New Zealand; Domestic, Stray and Feral cats.

The definitions of feral cats under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 states Feral Cats are designated pests and therefore subject to control under pest management strategies operated by DoC. Feral cats have none of their needs met by humans. Domestic and stray cats (as in the Paihia stray cat colony) are protected by law. They have their needs met by humans, are desexed and cared for daily."

It seems to me, and this is a devil's advocate observation, that if I was to befriend a feral cat colony, start meeting their needs by feeding them, trapping them and spaying them, I could legally define my wild cat colony as stray. And therefore, they would be protected.

The kind people who care for the Paihia cat colony assert they are spayed and do not breed.

All of them? Is there an accurate record of the total population?

In terms of the definition of these cats, here is another factor to consider.

The Advocate has asked to photograph the cats, with someone holding one of them.

I can assure you that the only way we will be photographing one of these cats is with a long range lens from a camouflaged mai mai. You cannot approach them, and cuddle them. They are wild - something that is not defined under law.

It seems in this situation, the law is an ass - the latter being something I suspect these cats are laughing off as we speak.