Hi Josh,
a friendly welcome here in our Katzen-Forum.
Nice to see you are looking for a compromise and not shutting down in front of different minds.
(My english is surely improveable. So the german Version is also to see below.)
I do not know if it is typical German, so I can only give you my appointment to see weather there are aspects you can deal with.
This Topic you are talking about is also known in this Katzen-Forum, we already talked about with the same perception you made.
Here Cats are pets, they live with us together in our houses and build a strong relationships, sometimes they are nearly familiy members. See how they are treated in other communities could be very hard. We can not understand how such gorgeous animals are considered as menace and vermin.
But also in germany there are some well-known neophytes which are not so welcome. There are e.g. the north-american crayfish and racoon. Just wanna say I can understand you and the mind about neophytes. It is a very urgent problem for environment at all.
The original problem is neither what to see and judge an animals nor if they are invaders, it is how to treat them. Especially the australians have a very great culture, the Aborigines.
The Aborigines have a way of understanding and appreciating every creature that should be exemplary everybody.
I will complete but first have to submit because of technical difficulties.