General News
16 July, 2025
Feral cat problem needs government intervention
Two North West leaders want the state government to play a bigger role in feral cat eradication.
Richmond Shire mayor John Wharton says he supports the call of Robbie Katter for the state government to fund a feral cat bounty in the North West.
In the early 2000s, Richmond Shire was the first council in the state to put in a feral cat bounty, despite the negative attention it drew from outside the region.
“The Environment Minister at the time, Rod Welford, wrote to me and told me how terrible I was,” Cr Wharton said.
“I had emails from cat lovers from across the world saying the bounty should be on my head.”
The long-time mayor said the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils had put forward a proposal to the state government about a feral cat program, but it was rejected by the departments.
“They say it's a local government issue,” Cr Wharton said.
“For us, there’s no benefit to introducing a feral cat bounty, other than it's the right thing to do.”
Member for Traeger Robbie Katter is calling for a state-funded cat bounty across North West Queensland, saying feral cats were wreaking havoc on native wildlife, threatening livestock, and spreading dangerous diseases.
“Feral cats are out of control – they’re tearing through native birdlife and small mammals, not just out in the bush, but right in the middle of our towns,” the KAP leader said.
“It’s a slaughter. We know they kill around 12 per cent of Australia’s birds every year –and yet we hear nothing from the green warriors who are usually first to the microphone when there’s a mining project to protest.
“If you genuinely care about the environment, you should be screaming for action on this.
The silence is deafening.”
Mr Katter praised Richmond Shire for taking initiative by offering a bounty on feral cats, but said it shouldn’t be left up to cash-strapped councils to foot the bill.
“This is a state issue. It’s an ecological disaster and a biosecurity threat,” he said.
“Feral cats can spread lethal diseases, as well, which is a real concern to livestock producers.”
Mr Katter said the state government must immediately fund a regional cat bounty scheme and overhaul the Biosecurity Act to reflect the scale of the threat posed by feral cats.
“If the state government is serious about biosecurity, public health and protecting our native species, it must act now.”