Gareth Morgan, a businessman turned philanthropist, wants Kiwis to give puss the boot, citing research showing the cat kills an average of 13 native animals a year.
Morgan said that figure was unacceptable in a country where many native bird species had been wiped out, and 37 per cent of those that remained were endangered.
“I’m not suggesting you go out and knock your furry friend on the head right now,” he wrote in a newspaper column.
“But if we are serious about conservation, then we must acknowledge that we are harbouring a natural born killer.”
A 2011 survey showed almost half of New Zealand households own a cat, one of the highest rates in the world.