COUPLE WITH CATS ON A LEASH WANT SAME WALKING RIGHTS AS DOG OWNERS

A north Auckland couple admits they get funny looks from passersby, but say its time Aotearoa recognised the rights of responsible pet owners who walk their cat on a leash.

Hatfields Beach’s Kaitlin Smith and Darian Hurn trained their cats Puma and Neo from a young age to be comfortable with a four point harness and a lead.

Smith says Neo is more comfortable running alongside a dog at the park than he is with human visitors in the house.

The feline-focussed couple keep their cats indoors at home, to protect native wildlife, but also want to make sure their pets still get fresh air and outdoor exercise.

However, they had a recent bad experience after a belligerent man in hiking gear, claiming to be a ranger, scalded them for going on a weekend walk at Wenderholm Regional Park with their fur babies.

Smith said she had called up the council and confirmed that they could walk their cats in designated dog leash areas, and they hadn’t had a problem in months.

“The man headed up the pathway and got up close and yelled, ‘you’re not allowed to be here’. He was taking photos on his phone and said he was going to call an office.”

Smith and her partner again called the council, this time speaking to a senior staff member within the regional parks team.

“They told us the man wasn’t actually a ranger, just a passionate member of the public.”

However, the staff member confirmed that animals other than dogs are not permitted to be in the park.

“It’s disappointing to see people get out of their car at the park with two dogs off leash, but we get kicked out for having a cat,” Hurn said.

“Our cats are microchipped and registered, flea treated and have had their shots. Meanwhile, what is to stop an outdoor cat wandering across the park?”

Smith and Hurn say they would welcome legislation that would require cat owners to keep their pets inside at home, but cat walkers should be able to make use of park paths that permit dogs.

They point out that dogs are also known to kill wildlife, and its up to owners to keep their pets under control – whether they’re canine or feline.

Predator Free New Zealand chief executive Jessi Morgan agrees there is inconsistency in the rules.

“They kind of have a point. As our expectations of cat owners change to keeping them indoors, perhaps there should be privileges for people with cats on leads.”

She said it didn’t make sense for cats to have a legal right to roam, while cats that were leashed could be banned from a park.

“It’s us growing up as a society. Overseas, walking a cat on a lead is common, and while it’s still unusual here, I think it will increasingly happen.”

Morgan welcomed the findings of a recent Environment Select Committee report which recommended that cat owners be required to desex and microchip their animals.

She said that it paved the way for a national framework that would ideally allow zoning authorities to designate suburbs near wildlife habitats where cats could be required to be kept indoors.

“Within this National Cat Act, perhaps we could have provisions for where you can walk a cat with a leash.”

Auckland Council biosecurity advisor Dr Imogen Bassett said that the council promoted responsible pet ownership for both dogs and cats and asked all walkers to be mindful of wildlife.

“If you’re having a picnic with kids in the backyard and a lion runs through, your stress hormones will be racing. It’s the same for wildlife.”

In Bassett’s opinion a cat could be kept indoors and still kept stimulated and exercised.

“I accept that we are encouraging people to keep their cats at home and some people will want to take their cats out on a leash. I would ask them to keep to a footpath or a local park.”

Meanwhile, another Auckland Council spokesperson did not specifically say whether there was in fact a man posing as a ranger at Wenderholm, except to say:

“At times, members of the public visiting regional parks will talk to other people they encounter and may ask them to comply with park rules, for example around rubbish, pets and loud music.”

In Smith and Hurn’s case, their cool cats continue to take it in their stride.