This Study Offers A New Way Forward In The Debate Over Feral Cats
To protect wildlife from free-roaming cats, a zone defense may be more effective than trying to get every feline off the street.
Should domestic cats be allowed to roam freely outdoors? It鈥檚 a contentious issue. Those who say yes assert that they鈥檙e听听and the听. Critics respond that free-roaming cats听听that they听.
础蝉听听听familiar with these clashing viewpoints, we wondered whether there was room for a more nuanced strategy than the typical yes/no standoff. In a听, we used camera traps at hundreds of sites across Washington, D.C., to analyze the predatory behavior of urban free-roaming cats. The cameras recorded all cats that passed them, so our study did not distinguish between feral cats and pet cats roaming outdoors.
Our data showed that the cats were unlikely to prey on native wildlife, such as songbirds or small mammals, when they were farther than roughly 1,500 feet from a forested area, such as a park or wooded backyard. We also found that when cats were approximately 800 feet or farther from forest edges, they were more likely to prey on rats than on native wildlife.
Since the average urban domestic cat ranges over a small area 鈥撎, or 听鈥 the difference between a diet that consists exclusively of native species and one without any native prey can be experienced within a single cat鈥檚 range. Our findings suggest that focusing efforts on managing cat populations near forested areas may be a more effective conservation strategy than attempting to manage an entire city鈥檚 outdoor cat population.
Cats On The Loose
Free-roaming cats are a common sight in Washington, D.C., which has . Like many cities, Washington has had its share of听.
Professionals on either side of the free-roaming cat debate largely agree that cats are safest when kept indoors. An outdoor cat鈥檚 lifespan generally , compared with 10 to 15 years for an indoor cat. Free-roaming cats face numerous threats, including vehicle collisions and contact with rat poison. Acknowledging these risks, most animal welfare organizations encourage听.
Similarly, there is little disagreement that cats hunt; for centuries humans have used them for rodent control. But invasive rats, which are often the target of modern rodent control,听听to be easy prey for cats. In response, cats also pursue smaller species that are easier to catch. Studies have linked cats to听听and estimated that cats听听annually in the U.S. alone.
Disagreements arise around handling cats that already live outside. Population management programs often utilize trap-neuter-return, or TNR 鈥 a process in which cats are trapped, spayed or neutered and re-released where they were caught.
In theory, TNR limits population growth by reducing the number of kittens that will be born. In reality it is rarely effective, since听听to reduce the population, which is often not feasible. Regardless, reproduction itself is not what most worries conservation biologists.
Feline Invaders
Today the Earth is losing wild species at such a rate that many scientists believe it is experiencing its听. In this context, free-roaming cats鈥 effects on wildlife are a serious concern. Cats have an instinctual drive to hunt, even if they are fed by humans. Many wildlife populations are听听in a rapidly changing world. Falling prey to a non-native species doesn鈥檛 help.
Cats听听but will pounce on the easiest available prey. This generalist predatory behavior contributes to their reputation as听. In our view, however, it could also be a key to limiting their ecological impact.
Managing Cats Based On Their Behavior
Since cats are generalist predators, their wild-caught diet tends to reflect the local species that are available. In areas with more birds than mammals,听, birds are cats鈥 primary prey. Similarly, cat diets in the most developed portions of cities likely reflect the most available prey species 鈥 rats.
While cats top the list of harmful invasive species,听. In cities, rats spread disease, contaminate food and听. There aren鈥檛 many downsides to free-roaming cats preying on rats.
City centers have听, which can live anywhere, including parks, subways, sewers and buildings. But native animals tend to stay in or near听, like parks and forested neighborhoods. When cats hunt in these same spaces, they are a threat to native wildlife. But if cats don鈥檛 share these spaces with native species, the risk declines dramatically.
Conservation funding is limited, so it鈥檚 critical to choose effective strategies. The traditional approach to cat management has largely consisted of attempting to prohibit cats from being loose altogether 鈥 an approach that鈥檚 incredibly unpopular with people who care for outdoor cats. Despite听, few have been enacted.
Instead, we suggest prioritizing areas where wildlife is most at risk. For example, cities could create 鈥渘o cat zones鈥 near urban habitats, which would forbid releasing trap-neuter-return cats in those areas and fine owners in those areas who let their cats roam outdoors.
In Washington, D.C., this would include听听like Palisades or Buena Vista, as well as homes near parks like Rock Creek. As we see it, this targeted approach would have more impact than citywide outdoor cat bans that are unpopular and difficult to enforce.
Hard-line policies have done little to reduce outdoor cat populations across the U.S. Instead, we believe a data-driven and targeted approach to cat management is a more effective way to protect wildlife.
