Campaigner Gareth Morgan wants to get rid of cats (Picture: Cats To Go)

An environmentalist who wants to save New Zealand’s native birds by ridding the nation of cats has raised animal lovers’ backs.

While most people see moggies as cute and cuddly creatures, anti-cat campaigner Gareth Morgan has said owners should not replace their pet when it dies and euthanasia ‘is an option’.

His Cats To Go website features a kitten with horns and states: ‘The little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer’.

‘Every year cats in New Zealand destroy our native wildlife. The fact is that cats have to go if we really care about our environment,’ the website explains.




‘There is no doubt that cats do a massive amount of damage to our wildlife. In the interest of protecting native species would you consider not replacing your cat with a new one when it dies?’

Cats To Go? (Picture: CTG)

The campaign has not gone down well with residents in a country that boasts one of the highest cat ownership rates in the world.

Bob Kerridge, head of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, hit back, describing Mr Morgan as the ‘butt out of our lives’.

He added: ‘Don’t deprive us of the beautiful companionship that a cat can provide individually and as a family.’

A recent survey found that 48 per cent of households in New Zealand owned at least one cat, putting the total cat population at 1.4million.