Pet cats are great companions, however are you aware free-range, stray and feral cats are responsible for billions of native animal deaths across Australia? Thatʻs right BILLIONS!
They're a big part of why Australia now holds the embarrassing title of having the worst modern mammalian extinction record of any country in the world.
So, what can we do to address and mitigate feline threats to our native wildlife?
Joining 4ZZZ's Eliot and Toni to chat about feral cats is Professor Sarah Legge a wildlife ecologist from Australian National University, who has carried out research on cat impacts and ways of reducing those impacts for many years.
For a deep dive...
Visit the NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub website to learn about the feral cat project. Or you can find out about Professor Sarah Legge's feral cat research and publications on her profile page.
To learn about responsible cat ownership to prevent your pets from harming native species, read this factsheet for best practises. For an understanding about the importance of managing cat populations, watch the 'Caring for Country' animation video.
Click here to learn how cat management practices are conducted by a local government in Australia.
Cats, urban or feral, have wide-ranging impacts in Australia on many different levels. To understand these various impacts, here are either a text or visual version depending on your preference:
Finally there is an online petition calling on the Australian Government to protect wildlife from feral cats.

Your 11AM Zedlines with Maddy & Frankee
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Your 10AM Zedlines with Maddy & Frankee
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Your 9AM Zedlines with Maddy & Frankee
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Your 11am Zedlines update with Ash, Angela and Maddie.

Your 10am Zedlines with Calani and Konrad

Your 9am Zedlines with Angela, Ash and Maddie

Your 8am Zedlines with Calani and Konrad

Your 11AM Zedlines with Liv, Charlie, Annabel and Jasper

Your 8am Zedlines with Liv, Charlie, Annabel and Jasper.

Your 11am Zedlines with Megan, Anastasia, and Sydney

Your 10AM Zedlines with Mario and Aliyah

Your 9am Zedlines with Sydney, Meghan and Anastasia

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Your final 11AM Zedlines with the Summer 2026 Friday Zedliners, read by Ava, Ethan and Yuchen (Image via Wikimedia Commons)!

Your 10AM Zedlines with Asha, Dan and Charlie (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Your 9AM Zedlines with Ava, Ethan and Yuchen (Image via Pexels).

Your 8AM Zedlines with Asha, Charlie and Dan (Image via Flickr).

Your 10AM Zedlines with Sarah, Vivek, Eden and HG
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Your 9AM Zedlines with Alec, Stella, Em, and Vivek
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Your 8AM Zedlines with Sarah, Stella, Alec, and Em
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Your 11AM Zedlines with Georgia and Cass

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Your 11AM Zedlines with Clementine and Livinia

Your 10AM Zedlines with Clementine and Livinia

Your 8AM Zedlines with Clementine and Livinia

Your 11AM Zedlines with Ava, Charlie and Yuchen! (Image via Wikimedia Commons)