Make your cat conservation friendly

How conservation friendly is your cat?

Read each statement and give your cat one point for every true answer. Add up your score and check how it rates in the list below.

The cat in this quiz might be your pet or one that comes into your backyard.

Quiz

• Your cat can’t have kittens. A vet desexed it.
• Your cat is fed good food at regular times.
• Your cat doesn’t go on holiday with you. It goes to a cattery.
• Your cat wears a collar with bells that jingle.
• Your cat can’t find a place to hide that is close to where the birds feed or drink.
• Your cat can’t climb all the trees near your backyard.
• Your cat has special toys to play with.
• Your cat hardly ever hunts.

Tally up your total score and check it below.

Score

1 – 3 point(s)
Your cat isn’t conservation friendly yet. It will catch birds, lizards and weta quite often.

4 – 7 points
Your cat could be a little friendlier. It will still catch some birds and lizards.

8 points
You have a conservation friendly cat! That’s better for the native wildlife near you.

Help your cat get a higher score

Give your backyard wildlife a better chance. Here are some tips for how to make your cat more conservation friendly:

Desex your cat

Take cats to the vet to be desexed so they won’t have kittens. 
Why? Kittens without homes become wild cats. They kill native wildlife and have more wild kittens.

Feed regularly

Feed cats balanced meals at regular times. 
Why?  Because hungry cats go hunting.

Feed inside

Feed cats inside, an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. 
Why? That’s when birds are most active in the garden.

Going on holiday?

Put cats in a cattery when you go on holiday. 
Why? So they don’t wander off and become wild to survive.

Collar with bells

Fit a collar with bells to your cat. 
Why? Because less birds are caught by cats with bells.

Keep bird feeders away from cats

Place bird feeders, bird baths and nesting boxes at least 3 m away from a place where a cat can hide. 
Why? Because cats hide in places like bushes, then jump out to catch their prey.

Protect nesting birds

Put animal guards around trees that have nesting birds. 
Why? So that your cat can’t climb them to get at the nests.