Did you know that keeping pet cats safely at home helps protect both them and our native wildlife?

City of Darwin loves our furry friends—but when cats are left to roam, they can get lost, injured or sick. Roaming cats also hunt native wildlife, disrupt local ecosystems, and can breed rapidly leading to more stray animals in our community.

The FeralScan Cat Tracking Project is helping us understand where roaming and stray cats are seen across Darwin. From August to February, we’re collecting data through community reports submitted via the free Feral Scan app.

By sharing what you see, you’ll be helping us better understand where cat education efforts are needed across Darwin and helping to protect wildlife, overtime.

How you can help

Whether you’re a cat owner, wildlife lover, or just want to help your community—you can help. Let’s work together to build a safer place for cats, people, and wildlife alike!

Here’s how you can get involved:

• Log sightings of roaming or stray cats using the free Feral Scan app (see below).
• Spread the word by encouraging neighbours and community groups to participate.
• Record regularly – the more consistent and widespread the data, the more meaningful the insights.
• Keep your cat safe at home to protect them from injury, illness or getting lost—and to reduce their impact on wildlife. Sign up to receive project news, tips and events.

About the App – Feral Scan

The Feral Scan app is a free and easy-to-use tool that lets you record sightings of roaming or feral cats in your area.
It only takes a few minutes to log a report—and it makes a big difference.

We want to know:

• Where was the cat sighted?
• What was it doing—was it hunting?
• Did it appear injured or unwell?
• Was it spotted near roads or car parks?

Download the app from Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Need support? Check out our step-by-step app guide (coming soon) or watch our instructional video, to get started.
 

Want more? Join our community meetups

Want to get more involved? Come along to one of our free community meetups and connect with others who care about local wildlife and animal welfare.
You could have the chance to hear from local wildlife experts, meet a special animal guest, share your ideas and learn how you can make a difference, and more. 

These events are open to all ages and are a great way to get inspired, learn more about the project, and take action in a supportive and welcoming environment.

• Saturday 2 August 2025 - Project Kick Off at Lake Alexander
• Wednesday 3 September 2025 - Cat City Documentary Screening

For addition questions or to learn more about the program contact the Animal Education at (08) 8930 0606.