Source: Radio New Zealand
Some of the Feral No More rescue cats are in temporary cages, ahead of their move to Eketāhuna. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
A cat rescuer who tames, desexes and rehomes stray felines is worried a bureaucratic battle could put his operation on pause.
Tony Hitchcock has run Feral No More from the small Rangitīkei town of Marton for the past three years with no issues or complaints.
But a move to Eketāhuna is proving problematic because, so far, the Tararua District Council says he hasn’t met the requirements to make him exempt from its three-cats-per-property bylaw.
Hitchcock said he wasn’t sure why. He had rehomed several hundred cats down the years, although he had kept some, such as ginger female Pay Back.
“She’s one of the best rodent control ‘office-furs’ in the whole of the North Island. I’ve had her five years. She was supposed to be given away twice, but the people didn’t show up for the adoption.”
Hitchcock’s packing up from his leased land in Marton – the lease has run out – after buying a section in Eketāhuna, where he wants to continue running his rescue. The move hasn’t been as simple as he’d hoped.
Tony Hitchcock, in his former cattery at Marton, says he’s stressed that his rescue is facing opposition as it relocates. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
“In Marton, I moved here approximately three years ago. I’ve taken hundreds of cats out of the area, mainly from the outskirts of town.
“Cats are a big problem in the rural towns, especially around the outskirts of them. There’s fields for miles around, which provide a food source. There’s rats and rodents.”
He captures the cats using cages, slowly luring them in with food so they don’t suspect a thing.
He then gets them microchipped and desexed, mostly out of his own pocket, before finding homes for them. He registers the cats under his name, transferring ownership when they’re adopted.
It’s not always easy work and he has scars to prove it – one finger is completely bent.
“Four or five operations on that from one cat mauling. The cat’s still here. He’s a good guy, now. He wasn’t at the time.”
Tony Hitchcock has owned this cat, Pay Back, for five years. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
Council bylaw sticking point
Hitchcock said he liked cats, he just didn’t think there should be millions of them running wild.
So ahead of his move, he approached the Tararua District Council.
He said he met with officials only on Friday the week before last. After telling them of his plans, including building a small cattery, and providing references, the council had now told him his operation fell foul of its bylaw.
The council in Marton had a similar bylaw limiting cat numbers, but Hitchcock said his work wasn’t a problem there, and he usually had between a dozen and two dozen cats on his land.
In a statement, the Tararua council confirmed it met with Hitchcock to discuss the requirements of its bylaw about keeping animals, including meeting animal welfare standards and the effect on neighbours and surrounding property.
“Information received so far has shown that these requirements are currently not being met,” the statement said.
“[The] council has also received community concerns regarding the operation of the proposed cat rescue within a residential area.
“Once we have received satisfactory information showing appropriate hygiene, housing and other animal management arrangements are in place, we are happy to receive and consider an application from Mr Hitchcock for a permit.”
The council said it was “continuing to engage” with him.
He said he was told he wouldn’t get a permit and that was that. He wasn’t happy with this, saying he hadn’t been given a chance to discuss issues the council raised.
Mini Vadke runs a cat and dog rescue in Palmerston North, and said she hadn’t come up against red tape there.
It all depended on the local council, however, she said.
“I think that’s what Tony’s council needs to realise – if you’re not going to help him or fund him, the least you could do is leave him alone.
“He’s not hurting anyone. The cats are all snipped and chipped. They’re going to not reproduce, and provide rodent control.”
The council bylaw exempts registered charities that operate like the SPCA, but partly due to head injuries from playing sport Hitchcock said he hadn’t applied for this status because he wasn’t good with paperwork.
He was now considering it, although it wouldn’t happen quickly.
“I’m rather stressed and anxious for what I see is no good reason,” he said. “Having a nine-week delay on things is bad enough. It’s not my livelihood but it is my life.”
Hitchcock is trying to find short-term foster homes for some of the rescue cats.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/bureaucratic-battle-could-put-cat-rescuers-operation-on-pause/