Editorial: Enact law to curb feral cat colonies

The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources is proposing changes to state law that will ban feeding either loose domestic animals, such as feral cats, or native wildlife on state parks and public state-owned lands. These changes are necessary, and must be adopted as quickly as can be accomplished.

Widespread waste, the toxic by-product of cat colonies, can contaminate surface waters, park land, hiking trails and beach sand. It threatens endangered species, including Hawaii’s rare and endemic monk seal, as well as infants and child-bearing women. And cat colonies can strip an area of other species — native and other birds, in particular — that cats are drawn to eat.

Further, feeding loose cats encourages others to abandon their unwanted animals at the “sanctuaries” that well-meaning people have established.

When floods threaten, self-preservation calls for flood control. When a community understands a looming threat, the responsible thing to do is to reduce the risk. And with a growing body of knowledge showing that feral cats do damage to Hawaii’s environment — spreading disease, or crowding out or killing Hawaii’s irreplaceable native species — the continued proliferation of feral cat colonies, or the feeding that encourages their growth can no longer be excused, or tolerated.

To be generous to those who have given force to this gathering threat, let’s begin with the premise that cats don’t seem dangerous. They’re fuzzy and warm to the touch; they purr when given affection. And food brings them running to a benefactor — making for an easy way to get a good feeling.

However, we now know that feeding loose cats give rise to a potential deluge of more and more cats, until the areas where these colonies are supported by well-meaning cat-lovers become strewn with cat waste and unattractive for uses other than cat-feeding.

To protect fragile native ecosystems, prevent public health risks and discourage animal abandonment, these wild cat colonies and tolerance of their cultivation must end.

The change in law proposed by DLNR doesn’t apply only to cats, but they are one of the worst scourges. Testimony in favor of the feeding restrictions is based on science, and on concern for Hawaii’s endangered and threatened endemic species.

It’s well-documented that Hawaiian monk seal, dolphins and nene can all be killed from ingesting parasitic toxoplasmosis eggs, which contaminate beaches and nearshore waters after being excreted in cat feces. Cats are the only source of this deadly parasite, which can persist in the environment for a year or longer.

Jay Penniman, longtime manager of the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project, chaired a Hawaii working group on feral cats and toxoplasmosis. He notes that just recently, a 1-year-old monk seal died from toxoplasmosis infection. Any one incidence of monk seal or nene death from exposure to cat waste should be enough to spur state action.

The problem has stretched on long enough that
Hawaii County took its own action: Ordinance 25-63 (Bill 51), which took effect in January. Hawaii County’s law not only prohibits feeding feral cats; it also includes pigs, goats, chickens or other stray animals on county property, which includes parks, beaches and public facilities. First-time offender fines are low, with a maximum of $50 — but repeat violations could result in fines of up to $500. State law should be at least this strict.

Those who favor allowing wild felines to prowl freely must understand that they are threatening far more vulnerable species. Substitute bird-eating snakes for cats, and few will pity the creatures, but the arguments are the same — they further endanger endangered and threatened species, upset ecological balance and can harm other people.

Further, the practice of feeding animals in the wild is irresponsible and unnatural, whether the animals themselves are native or introduced.

So let’s be blunt: The proposed changes in state law would prohibit feeding, and also provide for state eradication of feral cats or other loose animals threatening native species. While opponents characterize this as “cruel,” it’s more cruel and counterproductive to condone poisoning or interfering with the survival of Hawaii’s native wildlife, and it must not be allowed to continue.