Stray feral cats are a huge issue in the Canterbury-Bankstown area.

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour told Jim Wilson last week that councils can’t deal with the feral cat problem under current laws.

However, NSW Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock told Jim Wilson that Khal was “wrong” on what councils can and can’t do.

“The RSPCA … I had a long discussion with one of the workers there that is doing a pilot study in Canterbury-Bankstown area to do with feral cats,” she said.

“The state government funds the RSPCA to the tune of $30 million since 2011, $60 million for Companion Animals Act, a lot of money goes to the council.

“Now the council has contracted the RSPCA and what they are doing Jim is actually … desexing the cats, they have gone in and done that for more than 500 cats the lady told me this morning.

“This is going to reduce in her estimation, she is an expert, the number of feral cats … by more than a thousand … so these pilot studies are able to be undertaken by councils because we fund the RSPCA to work with council.”

Ms Hancock told Jim Wilson the RSPCA has been working with the Canterbury-Bankstown council

“We are also looking at other pilot projects and extending the project,” she said.

Press PLAY to listen to the whole interview NSW Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock