Honolulu's Biggest Newspaper Finally Says What We Have Been Saying: The Feral Cat Problem Needs Fixing Now
On February 16, 2026, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser — the largest newspaper in the state of Hawaii — published an editorial titled "Feral cat problem needs fixing, now."
Read that again. Hawaii's paper of record, a mainstream daily that prints to hundreds of thousands of readers, just put its editorial board behind the position that feral cats are an ecological disaster requiring immediate action. In a state where cat colonies are practically sacred, this is the equivalent of the Vatican Times running a headline questioning the Pope.
What the Editorial Says
The Star-Advertiser editorial endorses House Bill 1736, introduced by Rep. Luke Evslin (D, Wailua-Lihue), which would require all cats over five months old in Hawaii to be surgically sterilized. Cats imported into the state would need to be sterilized before entry. Violations carry fines of $500 to $1,000 per cat. The bill establishes a statewide spay/neuter special fund, funded through voluntary tax refund contributions.
A companion bill, HB 1594, introduced by Rep. Andrew Garrett (D, Manoa-Moiliili), paired with Senate Bill 3012, goes further by requiring sterilization documentation for all dogs and cats imported to Hawaii and mandating a breeder registry.
The editorial calls for enforcement of existing anti-feeding statutes on state land, expansion of no-feed rules, construction of cat sanctuaries near colony hotspots, and what it describes as "a more proactive and comprehensive approach" to population reduction.
The Numbers Behind the Editorial
The Animal Legal Defense Fund, in testimony supporting HB 1736, estimated 300,000 feral cats on Oahu alone, with thousands more across the outer islands. DLNR told the legislature that cats present "a unique cultural and ecological threat to the ecosystem" and that cat predation "significantly hampers the recovery" of endangered species including the uau (Hawaiian petrel), palila, and nene.
Those are not fringe environmentalist claims. That is the state's own Department of Land and Natural Resources, under oath, in legislative testimony.
Why This Matters
Mainstream newspapers almost never take editorial positions against cats. The cultural taboo is real. Cats have a political constituency that birds and seals do not. Cat advocates show up to hearings, organize online, and frame any population control measure as animal cruelty. Opposition testimony to HB 1736 literally asked whether counties would need "kitty ICE agents" going door to door.
But the Star-Advertiser editorial board looked at 300,000 feral cats, a trail of dead monk seals and endangered birds, and two serious legislative proposals, and decided the evidence was too heavy to dodge. The editorial specifically notes that the breeder carve-out in HB 1736 needs work, meaning they read the bill line by line and still came out supporting it.
When Hawaii's biggest paper starts saying what wildlife biologists have been screaming for thirty years, something is shifting. The question is whether the legislature has the nerve to act, or whether another session will pass with the colonies intact and the body count climbing.