Gareth Morgan's anti-cat rant has a third act - this time calling on New Zealand prime ministers to have "conservation integrity".

His Twitter tirade has been in response to the news that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's beloved cat Paddles was run over on Tuesday.

"Understand [you] fragile flowers of Twitter - wandering cats whether called Moonbeam or Paddles, [are] pests," he said.

It follows his tweet earlier where he said the prime minister has a "callous disregard" of New Zealand's native wildlife. In reply, Ardern said "I think I would just describe the situation as sad all round".

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The Opportunities Party leader asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern if her cat was "out and about wandering?" when the accident happened.

"If so does this reflect the value the PM puts on NZ wildlife?" Morgan said.

Morgan followed it up with another tweet aimed at Ardern and other "apologists", which said "for $200 [Ardern] could have protected kitty & wildlife", before linking to a PetSafe Cat fence for sale on Amazon.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said he had "never seen the cat wandering around".

Paddles definitely roamed free outside Ardern's Point Chevalier home at least once, however. She joined Ardern outdoors when she hosted a barbecue in September, the day after the 2017 election, for friends, family and colleagues.

Earlier Ardern had posted on Instagram following the news that her rescue cat was hit by a car and killed on Tuesday.

She thanked people for their thoughts and asked people to "please be kind to the SPCA".

SUPPLIED Paddles, Jacinda Ardern's cat.

Jacinda Ardern's press secretary Mike Jaspers confirmed: "Sadly Paddles was run over by a car near the prime minister's home in Point Chevalier."

Morgan has been a staunch campaigner for tougher controls on cats. During the election campaign he claimed wandering domestic cats are the biggest predator in urban areas.

"It is definitely not about getting rid of companion cats - it never has been," he said last year. "It is about controlling their predator activities."

LAURA WALTERS/STUFF Jacinda Ardern with her cat Paddles outside her Point Chevalier home the day after the 2017 election.

Conservation, in relation to tourism, was one of New Zealand's biggest earners, he said.

Ardern has not responded to his tweet, however her partner, Clarke Gayford, has asked that people donate funds to the SPCA in memory of Paddles if they desire to as the double-thumbed Paddles was an SPCA cat.

The cat was well-known for its polydactyl abnormality - she had extra claws that looked like thumbs.

Tributes to Paddles have already started pouring in, including from condolences from the US Ambassador's dog, Gracie Brown.

Media outlets in Australia and the United Kingdom have also reported on the loss of Paddles.

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