Experts say much more needs to be done to control the significant damage cats cause to wildlife across Perth.

The Cook Government has announced a $500,000 grant as the first part of a feral cat management program.

The funding will be shared between five community groups. It is designed to control feral cats and protect native wildlife in the Wheatbelt, Pilbara, Mid-West, and Great Southern regions.

Executive member of the Feral Cat Working Group Dr Bruce Webber says “feral cats are the biggest threat to Australia’s native animals.”

Rangers from the Kiwirrkurra Indigenous Protected Area will receive a share of about $81,000, between five funding recipients.

Dr Webber says the rangers manage around 70 per cent of WA and have made great progress in protecting bilbies in the state.

He says the funding shared between groups across the state will help improve collaboration with land managers throughout WA.

Video: Olivia Colvin.

City of Fremantle councillor Adin Lang says stray cats can breed with feral cats, increasing the feral population.

Mr Lang says cat owners should register their cats with the city to help identify stray cats.

He says to stop the numbers of feral cats increasing, strays must be taken off the street.

“We need to identify stray cats and take them off the streets or the stray cats will contribute to the feral cat population.”

Adin Lang

Charlotte Robinson, a cat owner in Rossmoyne says many cats in her area roam free.

She often sees cats wandering the streets.

A volunteer from Native Animal Rescue in Malaga says they often treat birds or small mammals with puncture wounds, an indicator of a cat attack.

She says cats have hunting instincts and cat owners have a responsibility to keep their cats secure, to stop them injuring native wildlife.

Dr Webber says the new funding is an “absolutely critical part of cat management.”

He says managing feral cats is only a small part of the bigger picture in protecting biodiversity.