AVA spokesperson on animal welfare Dr Jonica Newby said such a move would simply result in denying the third of Australian's who own cats the companionship and health benefits that ownership of cats brings while having no affect on the feral cat population. The inference is that domestic cats are one short step away from becoming feral cats - which is not the case.
Feral cats have a life cycle largely independent of the domestic cat population.
Far from being a recent phenomena, many scientists believe that feral cats have been here for up to 400 years as a result of contact from our near neighbours. The idea that you can eradicate feral cats simply be eliminating the domestic cat population is unrealistic. Dr Newby said the level of responsible cat ownership in Australia is one of the best in the world. Surveys also show that about half of these cats are kept inside at night.