Forest Lake: Among Brisbane Suburbs With Most Feral and Wandering Cats Reported in 2019

Forest Lake is among the Brisbane suburbs with the most reported wandering cats and cat trapping requests in 2019, according to the Brisbane City Council report.

According to the animal complaints data, there have been 663 wandering cat reports and 629 requests for cat trapping received by Brisbane City Council in 2019. Forest Lake has the second most cat trapping requests with 17, next to Inala with 26. Forest Lake is also among the suburbs with the most number of reported wandering cats with 17, whilst Holland Park West topped the list with 44.

The problem with cats

Non-domestic cats are unowned or stray cats and are commonly found living in large colonies whilst feral cats are wild and often solitary animals. Because of their strong hunting instinct, cats are known to prey on birds, amphibians, fish, and other small mammals, apart from being notorious for their nuisance behaviours.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, citing Mammal Action Plan 2012, mentioned feral cats as the biggest threat to Australia’s mammals, contributing to the extinction of more than 20 Australian mammal species. Cats may also carry parasites and spread diseases that affect livestock, wildlife, and humans.

Photo credit: suju/ Pixabay

Top 10 suburbs with most cat trapping requests:

Inala – 26
Forest Lake, Wynnum West – 17
Acacia Ridge – 16
Bracken Ridge, Clayfield, St Lucia, Wynnum – 14
Bald Hills, Sunnybank – 13
Moorooka – 11
Darra, Sandgate – 10
Brighton, Chermside, Sunnybank Hills – 9
Algester, Boondall, Carina Heights, Stafford Heights, Zillmere – 8
Calamvale, Camp Hill, Carina, Chapel Hill, Fitzgibbon, Mount Gravatt East, Richlands, Salisbury – 7

Top 10 suburbs with most reported wandering cats:

Holland Park West – 44
Bracken Ridge – 34
Wynnum West – 27
Forest Lake, Inala – 17
Stafford Heights – 15
Fitzgibbon, Wynnum – 14
The Gap -12
Kuraby, Paddington – 11
Carindale, Northgate – 9
Acacia Ridge, Boondall, Carina Heights, Keperra – 8

Feral animal sightings may be reported using the Council’s online form. For wandering cats, Council encourages residents to contact the cat owner or report it on (07) 3403 8888.