Pet or Pest?
Pet or pest?
Cats and dogs are part of the family in many homes. They’re our favourite pets – but did
you know they can also be pests?
No! How can that be?
Before people came to New Zealand the biggest predators were the giant Haast’s eagle
and other birds of prey. For native birds and insects, life was safer on the ground, especially
if you came out at night when hawks and eagles and weka were asleep. Birds, like kiwi and
takahe, and insects, like the giant weta, grew big, fat and flightless. Even the birds that
could fly hopped about the forest floor looking for food and making nests.
But then people came and brought mammal predators, rats, stoats, cats and dogs. These
animals hunt at night and they find their food by smelling. Suddenly life became very
dangerous at night-time on the ground. It was a disaster for our wildlife. Some species
became extinct, many species are now in danger of extinction and all our native wildlife are
much, much fewer than they used to be.
MY cat doesn’t catch birds!
MY dog doesn’t hunt kiwi!
No? You’d be surprised. Hunting is natural behaviour for cats and dogs.
Even the fattest, best-fed cat likes to hunt sometimes. That’s what cats do. At night when
you hear the cat door swinging, where do you think your cat is going? It may catch rats and
mice but it will also kill lizards, insects and birds.
Dogs like to hunt at night too. Maybe your dog roams the street at night, getting into rubbish
bags, but if it had the chance, it would kill a kiwi.
But we LOVE our pets!
Cats and dogs are great companions and we wouldn’t want to be without them.
Let’s take care so that our pets don’t become pests.
Cats:
• Desex your cat so it won’t breed. It will also be less inclined to wander.
• Kittens are cute but finding good homes for them can be difficult. Never abandon cats or
kittens: it’s cruel and irresponsible. If they survive they will have to find food and they will
prey on wildlife.
• Keep your cat inside at night
• If you live very near a wild place, a native forest reserve, a wild river or a beach where
shore birds nest, don’t have a cat. Enjoy the wildlife instead!
Dogs:
Dogs are often more than pets, they are farm workers, hunting companions and guide dogs.
Dogs may be "man’s best friend" but they can be the kiwi’s worst enemy. Dogs hunt by
smell and they can smell the exciting scent of a kiwi far away.
• Don’t let your dog wander.
• Always tie it up at night.
• At the beach, don’t let your dog run above the high tide mark or into the dunes. That’s
where little blue penguins, dotterels and Variable oystercatchers nest.
• Be especially careful on holiday at the beach, the river or the forest. Find out about the
wildlife in the area. It’s best to leave your dog at home but, if you must take it, keep it on a
lead and tie it up at night.
Care for your dog. Dogs get bored and lonely tied up for too long. Take your dog for walks
on a leash. Let it run in places where it will do no harm.