Feral Cats

Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion.
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Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion. Please avoid publishing details of access to sensitive areas with no tracks.

Feral Cats

Postby Graham51 » Thu 08 Jun, 2017 6:41 pm

I took a walk up to Collins Bonnet today and when I was almost at the site of the old hut near the top of the climb there was a cat wandering up the track in front of me.

I've also seen one crossing the road near McPartlans Pass on the Gordon Road, a few years ago.

Just wondering where else people have seen them and whether I'm meant to report it to anyone.

I've yet to see a fox in Tasmania.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby north-north-west » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 8:32 am

There are few places where I haven't seen them, unfortunately,

Plenty of the buggers on the Central Plateau, east coast parks, SW, Tarkine . . .
If the sighting is in a NP or other reserve, inform the rangers or TasPAWS head office.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby pazzar » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 9:11 am

I've seen a couple up on the road to Lake Dobson. Always report to a PWS staff if you can. Unfortunately I don't think much will ever be done about it though. There are a lot of people out there that don't understand how damaging cats can be.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby bushwalker zane » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 9:35 am

Feral cats :evil:

I used to see a few on Maria Island when I was working there, but there was a pretty good bit of research going on there at the time in regards to the best way to remove them. According to the bloke who was doing study for the uni, going for an outright cull won't work, as the cats will go into hiding if they notice a rapid population loss. Species preservation at its finest I guess.

Been a while since I've seen one, but it was on a forestry road down the back of Judbury.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby wander » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 10:57 am

We have seen a small black cat a few times on the West Picton Road is the area of the side track down to the bridge over to the East Picton Road. And pondered if there was a reporting system.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Nuts » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 11:46 am

Documented sightings register would a be great first step. I suspect any effective change needs to be in even tighter ownership regulation.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Thornbill » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 1:16 pm

Nuts wrote:I suspect any effective change needs to be in even tighter ownership regulation.


A new cat management plan is being worked on as we speak. http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/invasive-species/cat-management-in-tasmania/draft-tasmanian-cat-management-plan Expect tighter controls around ownership of domestic cats.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby gayet » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 1:22 pm

Thornbill wrote:
Nuts wrote:I suspect any effective change needs to be in even tighter ownership regulation.


A new cat management plan is being worked on as we speak. http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/invasive-species/cat-management-in-tasmania/draft-tasmanian-cat-management-plan Expect tighter controls around ownership of domestic cats.


But will they be enforced and if so, will it just result in the release of more cats into the wild as owners dump them to avoid any additional costs ?
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby north-north-west » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 4:15 pm

bushwalker zane wrote:Feral cats :evil:

I used to see a few on Maria Island when I was working there, but there was a pretty good bit of research going on there at the time in regards to the best way to remove them. According to the bloke who was doing study for the uni, going for an outright cull won't work, as the cats will go into hiding if they notice a rapid population loss. Species preservation at its finest I guess.

Biggest feral cat I've ever seen was one we caught in a devil trap near Crooked MacGuiness back in '79/'80. Big and solid as a bull terrier, and even stronger.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby bushwalker zane » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 7:47 pm

north-north-west wrote:Biggest feral cat I've ever seen was one we caught in a devil trap near Crooked MacGuiness back in '79/'80. Big and solid as a bull terrier, and even stronger.


The biggest one I remember seeing was a huge black cat where I grew up in Underwood. It filled a possum trap, and struggled to turn in it. Mental!
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Overlandman » Fri 09 Jun, 2017 9:43 pm

There was a few around Waterfall Valley heading down off the cirque.
I remember some kittens back in the late 90's that were eradicated by the Blue Mule.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Roger » Mon 19 Jun, 2017 4:31 pm

Reports of a few in Waterworks Reserve. Ranger reckons there are half a dozen of them.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby SergeantMcFly » Mon 19 Jun, 2017 10:48 pm

Saw a massive one up at Bishop & Clerk around November-ish last year. Incredible how big they can actually get, not entirely surprising given the abundance of prey though.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby threshold » Sat 24 Jun, 2017 8:32 pm

Shoot em all. Horrible animals that can not be controlled.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby L_Cham_67 » Wed 11 Dec, 2019 11:53 am

Spotted this feral cat on the old forestry road which leads to the Wylds Craig Track. I reckon I would have been around the national park border.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby issyexplores » Tue 17 Dec, 2019 7:34 am

I saw this one on the access road near Mt Wedge a couple of months ago. I did wonder about reporting it.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Hot073 » Tue 17 Dec, 2019 6:37 pm

Have seen lots of them lately up around Lake Rowallan and Murchison Hwy near the Cradle link road.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Azza » Wed 18 Dec, 2019 10:42 am

Seems to be lots of Feral Cats on the loose around the Florentine and Gordon River Road areas and have been for a long time.
Pretty sure the authorities are aware of them.
I've seen one up near Wherretts Lookout and also down on the road near the start of the Timbs track.

The one on the road I saw from a distance (100m+), it was right at end of the big long straight it was terrifyingly large.
If it was light brown I would have called it a Tassie Tiger, it had that distinctive shape. Except it was black.
It was that big that I was seriously thinking it was a Panther or Puma. Regardless of what it was, I'd hate to run into it in the forest.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Thylaseen » Wed 18 Dec, 2019 7:49 pm

Yes, we've seen them in the same area - on the way to Richea Ck.

I told the family we'd seen a Tasmanian Tiger - which it looked like from a distance!
It's out there
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Orion » Thu 19 Dec, 2019 5:13 am

I volunteer at a shelter back home and have a great affinity for the animals. But I was not happy to see one the other day trotting down the Cape Hauy track. It made me wonder how parks deals with them. Is there a trapping program?
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby bushwalker zane » Fri 20 Dec, 2019 8:58 am

I saw a slinky black one the other day near the Arm River turn off while heading up towards the walls. I've also heard my fair share of feral dogs up in the Mersey River Valley...
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby north-north-west » Sat 21 Dec, 2019 10:45 am

There is now one less feral cat near Lake Rowallan.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Son of a Beach » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 7:11 am

Poor puddy-tat.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby north-north-west » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 10:43 am

*shrug*
It was quick. Probably fairly painless, too.
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Re: Feral Cats

Postby Hot073 » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 4:50 pm

bushwalker zane wrote:I saw a slinky black one the other day near the Arm River turn off while heading up towards the walls. I've also heard my fair share of feral dogs up in the Mersey River Valley...

A fly fishing mate of mine photographed a wild dog up near Mackenzie a few weeks back,looked like a kelpie/collie type dog.
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