The woman had complained to the council and a local cat rescue group had managed to catch some of the cats before they got wary of the cages they used.

Kevin Johnson, FNDC group manager – delivery and operations, said the council is taking the concerns seriously and is developing a plan to address the situation.

‘’At the same time we are talking to tenants about responsible cat ownership and have asked them all to immediately stop feeding cats that do not belong to them,’’ Johnson said.

He said during a site visit on July 10, council staff observed approximately 8-10 wild cats around the Ahipara Pensioner Flats.

Johnson could not give a time frame for the action plan to be implemented and the cats removed.

The council has also been seeking guidance and support from Northland Regional Council to identify the best way to humanely resolve the problem.

“The council will aim to implement a plan as soon as practical, and will ensure the tenants are informed and involved in the process,” he said.

But the peeved pensioner said that’s not good enough and action was needed sooner.

‘’Spring is just around the corner and we all know what wild cats do then – they breed. I’m worried that breeding season will bring an explosion of cat numbers here.

‘’There’s a lot of inbreeding going on among them, there are a lot of un-fixed tom cats here and I’m really worried.’’

She said the council staff only saw the cats that were round the flats when they visited on July 10, with many retreating to surrounding bush.

‘’There are just so many of them. I can’t do my gardening because I don’t want to put my hands in their faeces, which is all through my garden,’’ the woman said.

The woman said the pensioner flats in Taheke Rd are a pleasant place to live, but the plague of cats was seriously affecting her health, happiness and wellbeing.

The problem has been going on for longer than the year complaints have been made about them, she said, but it has become increasingly bad in the past 12 month with “around 50 wild cats” now present.

The woman was pleased that the council was taking the matter seriously and was finally going to do something about the cats. She said after the single visit from council staff all residents had received a letter asking them not to feed the cats and giving advice.

‘’Yes, part of the problem is that some people are feeding the cats and they have settled around where they are being fed, so I’ve got some sympathy for the council, but I’ve just had enough.’’

The council said since publicity about the pensioner flat cat infestation it was not aware of similar cat problems being experienced by other residents in the district.