Fenced Out… and Fenced In? Containing Cats in the Borderlands of Zealandia

ABSTRACT ‘Containing’ companion cats within property boundaries is a possible method to protect native species and promote cat welfare. We explore the more‐than‐human relations associated with cat containment in the area surrounding the Zealandia ecosanctuary. Even when owners are concerned about wildlife and want to restrict their cats' mobilities, they struggle to keep cats within property boundaries. Cats actively resist containment, and this is sometimes facilitated by the material and spatial features of homes and gardens. Understanding these interactions and taking more‐than‐human agency seriously could support multispecies flourishing in the borderlands of Zealandia and inform current debates surrounding responsible cat ownership.