Cat lovers have the claws out over plans to ban their furry friends from a small town at the Southern tip of New Zealand.

The Environmental office of the regional council of Southland is proposing a ban on all new domestic cats in the tiny town of Omaui, close to the city of Invercargill.

Under the plans put forward by Environment Southland, all cats in the town would have to be officially recorded, neutered and micro-chipped.

Once the cats on the official list have lived out their days, residents would not be allowed to replace them.

The regulations aim to protect native biodiversity in the area.

The area is home to a number of reserves - and Environment Southland said house cats are a threat to birds, lizards, bugs and plants.

Kiwis owned around 1.13 million cats in 2016 - and similar proposals to phase out felines country-wide have met fierce debate in recent years.

Residents have been asked to have their say through a public consultation process.

The council said it has been flooded with responses since the plan was released yesterday.