Councils will vote next week on whether to adopt measures which could include a registration fee for domestic cats and the introduction of cat rangers.
Local Government New Zealand president Lawrence Yule says current rules don't allow councils to control cats and seven of the country's 78 councils, led by Dunedin and Auckland, have supported a remit to develop a cat strategy.
Mr Yule said it was just a proposal at this stage, and he expected the issue would be hotly debated at the meeting.
He said the measures targetted feral and homeless cats.
Mr Yule said if the remit passed, there would still need to be discussions with the Government before any measures were put in place.
