Tarneit feral cats: Residents report huge numbers of cats at Reflections Boulevard park

A “staggering” number of stray cats are causing havoc at a Tarneit park, killing wildlife and leaving residents’ fearing for the safety of their own pets.

Feral cats are causing havoc at a Tarneit park, killing wildlife and leaving residents fearing for the safety of their own pets.

Locals say the issue of stray cats in the park and lake at the end of Reflections Boulevard has been left unresolved for “many years”.

Tarneit man Emanuel said residents also fear for the safety of local wildlife, with the cats spotted killing ducks.

There have also been reports of some residents feeding the cats, making the problem even worse.

“People have been making comments on Tarneit (Facebook) pages and complaining to the council for a number of years,” Emanuel said.

“Some residents in those townhouses have decided to sell and move into other pockets of Tarneit due to how bad the cat issue is.

“I’ve called the council so many times each and every time I get reassured someone will call me back however I’ve never once received a phone call.

“I’m not one to usually whine or complain but this cat issue really makes the estate look bad and not desirable.

“Our biggest concern is the wildlife. The native duck population in this estate has never been this low. I’ve seen multiple cats kill the native ducks for prey.”

Karson Hibbert’s old house used to back onto the park at Reflections Boulevard where the cats are regularly sighted.

She said she would often be woken at night by her dogs “panicking” due to the cats appearing in their backyard.

“The dogs would freak out at night and we would go out and see seven cats in our backyard looking around,” she said.

“I had a lot of people come up to me when I was walking my dogs and they‘d be like, ‘Oh, don’t go down there. The cats might start a fight with the animals’.”

Wyndham City Council has a cat curfew between 10pm and 6am and feeding strays is against local law.

People have been heavily discouraged by their fellow community members for attempting to feed the cats.

Residents are also able to hire traps from the local pound, where the strays are to be transported to.

A stray cat at the park in Reflections Boulevard.

Despite significant discussion and concerns raised about the issue on Tarneit Facebook groups, the council says complaints and requests for trapping have “decreased” in the last 12 months.

A council spokesperson said the council would continue to monitor reports and discourage people from feeding the cats.

“Cats roaming the streets during the day (non-curfew hours) can still be trapped if a resident objects to the cat being on their property,” the spokesperson said.

“If a cat is trapped outside its owner’s property by a member of the public or a Wyndham City officer, we will attempt to return it provided the cat is registered.

“Feeding an unowned cat contributes to the increase in population, which affects our environment and can become a nuisance to the community.”

Local resident Paula McGlashan said stricter measures had to be enforced to reduce significant risks to the local ecosystem.

“I visited the site at Reflections estate, where the cats are roaming, and a few other spots and the amount of cats is staggering,” she said.

“I did not observe any wildlife that would be expected in these areas, and unfortunately, what could be a biodiversity hotspot, are now zones where invasive, exotic and introduced weeds have overtaken the indigenous flora.

“Without a robust and coordinated approach to removing feral pests, including foxes and enforcing 24-hour cat curfews, the decline in native and endemic species in this area, and obviously Victoria and Australia-wide, will continue.”

Feral cats fall under ‘pest animals’ on Crown Land Victoria, due to the significant risk they pose to native wildlife and capacity to spread disease.

The 2014 Action Plan for Australian Mammals found feral cats to be the “single biggest threat to Australia’s native mammals” and pose nearly double the risk of foxes.

Likewise, the Invasive Species Council of Australia found cats kill 2.92 million mammals, 1.67 million reptiles, and 1.09 million birds every 24 hours.