11/15/25 #rescue #animals #mauihumanesociety

Updated on November 21st with some clarifications and statistics thanks to Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director of Neighborhood Cats. Cats have been a problem on Maui for years, and many people and organizations are dedicated to solving it. The numbers vary depending on the source, although while rumors claim that there are over 500,000 cats on Maui, Kortis reports that the number is closer to 86,621.

“A scientifically rigorous cat count led by two PhD’s, both wildlife biologists, was conducted on Maui a couple of years ago using population estimate methods like transect walks and camera traps, and the estimate for total number of free-roaming cats (feral and non-feral) on Maui was between 27,328 to 165,454 at a 95% confidence level,” Kortis wrote to me in an email as feedback to this article.

According to Maui Humane Society, around 40,000 of these are feral cats that are damaging the ecosystem and hurting native species of birds. Like most other invasive species, cats were introduced to this island by humans, so it is our responsibility to help improve the situation and there’s easy ways that all of us can help! Many organizations are working together to address this problem, and there are several different approaches.

TNR: Trap Neuter Release

One important goal is to get as many of the feral cats as possible neutered and spayed so that they are no longer able to reproduce. This might seem like a very small drop in the ocean, but a single unspayed female cat can have up to 12 kittens in a single year. Meanwhile, a male can impregnate multiple females a day! Here is an infographic created by the Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control that shows the damage that just two cats can cause:

Keep in mind that these are if every single kitten survived and all the litters were large. Kortis pointed out that the kitten mortality rate can be as high as 75%. 

Here is another worst-case scenario infographic created by SNYP Spay/Neuter Clinic:

Even though the real numbers of surviving cats is much lower, even one cat can cause damage and harm the ecosystem. Don’t forget that Hawaii is known as the, “extinction capital of the world” and cats do play a role in that. This further highlights the importance of spaying cats, whether they are feral, indoor/outdoor, or even indoor-only pets that could escape and cause chaos on our already fragile ecosystem. If you see cats with tipped ears, they have likely been trapped, spayed/neutered, and released!

Part of the Trap Neuter Release program is releasing the cats back into the wild. This means that while the cats can no longer contribute to the rising population, they can still harm wildlife. I’d like to point out that when cats are trapped, it is common to try to get the friendly cats or kittens into rescues to find them homes, but some are just too feral and cannot live in a regular home. A lot of these TNR cats end up in cat colonies around the island, and there are often people who dedicate their time and paychecks to keeping these colony cats fed, monitored, and safe. 

If all the cats on Maui were neutered or spayed, the population would begin to decline, which would help the island in many ways, including protecting wildlife. 

Cats at Fancy Resorts: They Are Employees, Not Pests

Some of these TNR cats end up living their best lives at Maui’s fanciest resorts. Not all of these cats were invited to stay, but some do serve an important purpose: mouse and rat control! Some kitties are fed by hotel employees or guests, while others find scraps or survive on the rodents they catch. Overall, they can be helpful to keep around. They are usually friendly, but not friendly enough to walk into your hotel room or bother you at the pool. They stay on the sidelines and come out to hunt when you are in bed. If you’re a fan of Disneyland, then you’ll know about their feral cat colonies; if not, read about them here.

Even though these resort cats have their benefits, they still pose a threat to the wildlife, which is why some activists want them gone for good. A good local example is the Grand Wailea Resort in Wailea, which used to be home to 31 spayed/neutered, vaccinated adult cats (down from the 300 feral cats that were there before the TNR program). They have since been moved to a sanctuary due to a lawsuit.

The problem is that there hasn’t been a proper solution to humanely removing these cats, since shelters are already overrun, and many landlords on Maui don’t allow tenants to have pets. Plus, feral cats cannot always be tamed and become pets, but over time with TNR there will be fewer feral cats since the existing population will no longer be able to reproduce.

Shipping Cats Off-Island

Some organizations on Maui help local cats get adopted off-island. This means that they are sent directly to homes or shelters on the mainland. The Maui Cat Cafe does a lot of this type of work, which is why they are always looking for volunteers who can take a cat with them on their flight home from Maui to get the kitty to their new home on the mainland. This is my favorite solution because the cats get a happy home, and Maui has fewer cats roaming the island. However, this is also a drop in the bucket compared to the total number of cats here.

Why Can’t We Have a Sanctuary Like on Lana’i?

This is a question that I’ve naively asked a lot, and it’s not a novel idea. Based on the information from the Lanai Cat Sanctuary and Maui-based rescues, up to $10 million would be needed to set up and maintain such a sanctuary, and it would still only be able to house under 1,000 cats. While several billionaires and philanthropists have homes on Maui, none of them has stepped up to donate these funds.

What Can YOU Do?

It is hard to see how one person can make an impact, but if everyone thought this, nothing would be done. First of all, if you are a cat owner, please fix your cat and make sure that until your cat is fixed, it isn’t roaming outside. It’s even better for everyone if you can keep your cat indoors and offer them walks on a leash or a safe cattio to enjoy the outdoors with.

There is also a way that you can personally help Maui’s cat situation even if you don’t have money to give or room to adopt cats. One way is to volunteer your time at the Maui Humane Society or another animal care organization. Volunteers can do as little as clean litter boxes or play with the cats to help them get socialized, which gives them a much better chance of finding a forever home. 

The other is fostering, which is something that I recently started doing myself. Surprisingly, you don’t need a lot of space or time to foster. While every organization has its own rules, I was finally convinced by the Kitten Lady to go for it. I am one of those people who has always said I can’t foster because I’m a softie who will want to adopt every cat. Well, I’ve already adopted four cats (and three dogs) and cannot have any more full-time, but I can still foster.

In fact, fostering means that you can help countless cats, while there is always a limit of how many you can adopt. Yes, it is hard to part with a foster, but those moments of sadness can change the entire course of a cat’s life. I’ve always said that I’m too selfish and sensitive, but I’m finally doing it through MHS, and you can try it too. I recommend trying it once – you will not be pressured into continuing, and it’s a great way to see if you can handle it!

I’d like to thank Bryan Kortis for reaching out and giving me more information for this article. Kortis is a fellow Kihei resident who has spent his career working with feral cats. He also let me know that Neighborhood Cats offers great resources on how to handle feral cats. Please check out their online certification workshop where expert instructors will teach you best practices for feeding, trapping, colony caretaking, talking to people about TNR and more. They have an upcoming workshop on December 6th 2025.

Maui Cat Rescues & Organizations:

If I missed any organizations or important information, please leave a comment or reach out, and I will add whatever is needed.

Discover more from Kihei Community Association | Maui, Hawaii

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.