But when their owners are away, the cats come out to play.

Natural born killers with ferocious speed and stunning co-ordination, domestic and feral cats are like nature’s vacuum.

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy claims the nation’s feral cats each make up to 30 kills a night, amassing 75 million victims collectively every day. They are staggering numbers and lay bare just how beguiling our furry friends can be.

In a country struggling to conserve its unique fauna, the scale of these killings should not be underestimated.

The situation is even more dire across the ditch in New Zealand.

The extinction of nine bird species and parlous state of 33 others prompted a cat eradication campaign in 2013. Prominent philanthropist Gareth Morgan proposed feral cats should be hunted to extinction, and domestic cats either phased out or kept strictly indoors.

The hardline stance has some powerful allies in Australia. Australia's first threatened species commissioner, Gregory Andrews, this week called on all cat owners to keep their pets contained 24 hours a day, saying it makes them happier and healthier, and saves native mammals.

It may be an uncomfortable truth for many pet owners, but it’s a conversation we’ve put off for too long.

Enshrining it in law is not the answer.

Rather, authorities should launch a widespread awareness campaign to lift the veil on the true extent of the problem.

Over time, an appreciation of just how much carnage domestic cats can wreak will become part of the zeitgeist.

Until then, cat owners can take some simple measures to reduce their pet’s body count.

Keep your cat indoors at night, attach a bell to its collar – better still a special sonar beeper that alerts birds – and, unless you’re a registered breeder, ensure your pet is desexed.

Owning is a pet is a privilege, not a right.

If you wouldn’t let you dog run free in the neighbourhood, why should you let your cat?