Matthew Martin: King of the urban jungle reigns

Stray and feral cats kill millions of native birds every year. Photo / File

As a French government sponsored terrorist admits he feels guilty about blowing up a man in cold blood on the Rainbow Warrior, New Zealand must also come to terms with the sad reality of domestic terrorism.

In the form of cats. Yes, cats.

But first, a disclaimer.

This is a light-hearted column and I do not intend to detract from the French government's under-handed and barbaric act of sinking a peaceful vessel, while in friendly waters, protesting against nuclear weapons testing in the South Pacific.

I'm glad Jean-Luc Kister, the man who planted mines on the ship, has admitted his guilt for his part in the bombing that led to the death of photographer Fernando Pereira and I hope it haunts him forever. He and the 11 other French terrorists sent to New Zealand should hang their heads in shame.

And that's that.

However, not too long ago, well-known entrepreneur, philanthropist and moustache wearer Gareth Morgan made some interesting statements about cats.

Gareth Morgan does not seem to like cats.

He's not a fan. And that's an understatement. He wants them gone and those people who own them not to get another one.

I went to his website, garethsworld.com, and checked some of the facts he was using to back up his statements. All pretty sound. He doesn't want them around because they kill native birds and animals, and he is correct.

He was lambasted from all quarters, even receiving death threats from anonymous keyboard cowards, who for some reason have more respect for cats than they do for members of their own species.

But when the hot air-blowing cat lovers calmed down many saw he actually had a point.

Domestic and feral cats kill millions of native birds each year. Yes, millions.

Now some New Zealand SPCAs are admitting they neuter and release those very same cats back into the "wild" to do more devastation.

The SPCA say they protect animals, right? Well then, what are birds if not animals?

It seems the organisation wants to pick and choose which animals it protects, and, to be fair, they are well within their rights to do so. But it does seem a tad hypocritical.

Apart from their supposed "friendship", and their gradual takeover of the internet, cats are almost completely useless to us.

A recent study by animal behaviour experts at the University of Lincoln in the UK found cats do not have an emotional connection to their owners and I'm not surprised.

But, unlike dogs, who are smart and help blind people, cats are basically furry bird-murderers. And they are very good at it.

There's no reason why the SPCA could not put these stray and feral cats down. It's a lot cheaper than catching and neutering them and returning them back to the "wild".

There's also no reason why all other cats can't be fitted with a little bell when put outside to warn our native birds they are on the prowl.

Unlike Mr Morgan, I don't want to see a ban on domestic cats.

I loved my cat Smokey when I was growing up. Sadly, he was a feline mass-murderer. My neighbour has a cat I call Ninja. Ninja is an expert hunter and catches everything - rats, mice and plenty of birds. I've even seen her have a crack at a possum. She was unsuccessful, and now I think they are best friends.

Last spring I had to put at least six birds out of their misery after Ninja had ripped into them and left them to die in agony on my doorstep. I'd hate to imagine how many others she killed.

-Matthew Martin is a multiple-award winning senior staff journalist with NZME and a Rotorua local.