The hunt for 'Nine Lives', New Zealand’s most elusive feral cat | CNN Creators

Overview

New Zealand is running a large-scale campaign to eradicate feral cats. The government argues that feral cats are ruthless predators that threaten the country’s native birdlife and contribute to extinctions. The plan targets the complete removal of feral cats by 2050, which Department of Conservation figures estimate would require killing 2.5 to 8 million cats.

Focus of the Video: Auckland’s Trapping Effort

The video highlights Auckland’s work to trap and remove the remaining “stubborn” cats—especially a particularly elusive cat known as “Nine Lives.”

Trapper Mike says that over the past 12 years, he has taken about 500 cats, leaving only a few that can’t be caught. “Nine Lives” is described as highly intelligent and hard to capture:

• It repeatedly appears on surveillance cameras near traps
• It avoids capture for at least two years
• Mike estimates spending 60 hours per month trying to catch it

The effort is linked to protecting kiwi birds, including a large kiwi population at the site, which the team believes is recovering as trapping continues.

Additional Claims: Disease and Marine Impacts

Beyond wildlife impacts, the video notes that feral cats can spread toxoplasmosis to livestock and even marine mammals, including dolphins.

Political and Ethical Controversy

The campaign is presented as politically and ethically sensitive.

• Supporters: Conservation Minister Tom Apotheker supports the cat-killing program, arguing that feral cats are “stone cold killers” responsible for the loss of large numbers of native birds each year.
• Critics: Animal welfare organizations and animal rights activists have previously raised concerns, particularly about:
  • Humane treatment
  • The risk of targeting the wrong animals, such as pets

The SPCA supports population control only if it is humane, effective, and monitored. It prefers live capture traps over lethal methods and emphasizes safeguards such as scanning for microchips to reduce the chance of mistakenly killing someone’s pet cat.

Next Steps and Current Status

A further update is expected: a detailed national plan for tackling feral cats is due to be released next month.

Meanwhile, Mike continues trying to catch “Nine Lives,” who remains at large in the account presented.

Presenters / Contributors

Presenters (CNN Creators interview/voice)

• An unnamed interview host (unnamed in subtitles)
• Anya (from a cat rescue/trapping discussion; unnamed in subtitles)

Interviewees

• Mike (cat trapper involved in catching “Nine Lives”)
• Tom Apotheker (Conservation Minister)
• SPCA representative (SPCA views presented; specific name not given in subtitles)