A petition calling for the Stockton Breakwall cats to be protected has been presented to the Port of Newcastle.
The petition came after the port commissioned a failed kill in December last year, which resulted in a number of cats being shot and injured.
Animal Justice Party (AJP) Newcastle regional group leader Darren Brollo and Stray Cats Project founder Rochelle Wood said they contacted the port earlier this week about handing the papers to CEO Craig Carmody on Friday, but were instead met by senior manager corporate communications Sam Collyer.
AJP and the Stray Cats Project claimed the petition included 11,700 digital signatures, however the papers handed to the port did include some double ups and what appeared to be fake names. The names were also collected online, so could be from anywhere in the world.
But Mr Brollo said the total number didn't include names that appeared more than once and the number of fake names "certainly isn't significant".
He said he was "disappointed but not surprised" by Mr Carmody not meeting with them.
"All we're asking for is a commitment that the remaining breakwall cats will be safe and that's not something they're prepared to give us," he said.
"We're not going away, we're going to keep pressing them until we get an outcome that is humane. It's a very well managed cat colony, so there was no excuse for this horrific slaughter of these animals so we want some assurance that it's not going to happen again."
The port has not ruled out further culls, saying it is awaiting the outcome of an RSPCA investigation.
In an email to Mr Brollo, the port said it recently discussed the Stockton cat safety, environment and biosecurity issues via its regular community liaison process.
"The feedback received was that there was strong support for the decision to remove the cats. All acknowledged that the methods must be the most humane possible, which remains Port of Newcastle's priority," the email said.
The email said the "unauthorised trap-neuter-release activity" on the breakwall had contributed to a community safety and environmental problem.
"Port of Newcastle has a requirement and desire to provide and maintain areas to a high standard of health, safety and environmental protection. The presence of cats on the breakwall is not consistent with that position.
"Port of Newcastle has tried a number of methods to remove cats from the breakwall, but regrettably these have had limited success.
"Safety is the top priority here - we need to align with the decades of scientific, peer-reviewed research into human health and environmental risks."
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