Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017C00220:reg:1:p7
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017C00220
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 1 (pt 7/9)
Character Range: 21163–24030

Debus, 2012).
Feral cats in Australia are hosts to a number of disease causing agents including viruses (three species), bacteria (>40 species), fungi (>17 species), protozoa (21 species), helminths (26 species) and arthropods (19 species) (Moodie 1995). Some of these can be transmitted to native species, particularly mammals, and also humans. Toxoplasma gondii is one significant protozoan species that uses the cat as the definitive host and is particularly concerning for native Australian mammals, and immunocompromised people and pregnant women (Gebremedin et al. 2013). Abortions or pre-natal transmission to offspring can occur in livestock following infection with Toxoplasma gondii (Hartley & Marshall, 1957; Buxton et al. 2007; Pam et al. 2014) and one possible impact of the disease in some native animals is the loss of a sense of fear making these animals more vulnerable to predators (Berdoy et al. 2000; Hutchinson et al. 1980; Vyas et al, 2007; Webster et al, 1994). The tapeworm Spirometra erinacei also parasitizes the cat as a definitive host and has been recorded in a wide range of native mammals (Adams 2003). For some livestock producing areas of Australia, scarcosporidiosis spread from feral cats can be a significant economic cost due to cysts in sheep muscles resulting in carcass downgrades or rejection by abattoirs (Bomford & Hart, 2002).  This organism can infect a wide range of mammals.

1.2.3  Managing the threat
As feral cats are so thoroughly established in Australia, the focus of management is generally on impact abatement rather than eradication. Control of cats is difficult as they are found in very low densities and have large home ranges, making them difficult to locate. They are also extremely cautious in nature, making them hard to cost-effectively control with traditional measures such as shooting and trapping.  Fenced exclosures are a resource-intensive but effective way to control feral cat impacts in these restricted areas, as is the eradication of feral cats from offshore islands.
As a control technique, shooting is more effective if applied for an extended period or timed strategically. Shooting is most likely to be humane when the shooters are experienced, skilled and responsible (Sharp 2012a). However, because shooting is expensive, labour intensive and time consuming it is typically only done on a relatively small scale.
Feral cats are caught live using either leg-hold traps or cage traps. Leg-hold traps used in Australia have padded jaws. As at 2015, leg-hold traps for feral cats are not permitted in all states and territories. Cage traps can also be used for trapping stray and domestic cats around rubbish dumps and in nature reserves close to urban development. To successfully trap feral cats, the lure or attractant chosen is important, with individual feral cats preferring different