The effects of feral cats on Pacific island ecosystems are a well known and long standing pest problem. While control and/or eradication of feral cat populations have been successfully accomplished on several islands, they are typically in locations with little to no human population. The Hawaiian Islands have a human population of just over 1.2 million people, making certain feral cat control methods difficult, if not impossible, to implement. The University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, located in Honolulu, has a large number of feral cats living on it that often cause problems among the numerous stakeholders who use or frequent the campus. One of the primary concerns related to the cats is their feces, which may carry such diseases as toxoplasmosis and may cause illness in the employees that have to clean up after the cats. The university has implemented the use of feeding stations and litter boxes to obtain a population estimate and control the quantity of cat feces on the ground. But these two approaches have not been successful, due to inconsistent participation by the cat colony caretakers. Hence, little information exists about the status of the campus's feral cat population. In order to begin addressing the campus cat problem, our goal is to develop a survey method for estimating the distribution and size of cat colonies, conduct health assessments, and identify ownership of cats with microchips. We are conducting surveys to estimate the population size, to see if it changes over time, and to determine basic health indices of the cats. Ultimately, we expect to provide information on whether the feral cat population is changing over time and whether or not trap-neuter-release efforts are succeeding and reducing the population relative to removal, and status quo management options.
Feral cats are abundant in the Hawaiian Islands and pose a threat to native wildlife through predation and the spread of disease. A combination of factors including the submission of state bills and county resolutions has created the impression that a large segment of society supports the presence of feral cats in the islands and in-situ management techniques. The purpose of this research was to quantify the perceptions and desires of Hawai´i residents regarding the abundance and impact of feral cats. In 2011, I disseminated a social survey to approximately 5,000 Hawai´i residents including pre-identified wildlife stakeholders and a random sample of the general public. Data were analyzed using the potential for conflict index (PCI) and Wildlife Stakeholder Acceptance Capacity models. PCI results indicate that there is a high level of consensus within every stakeholder group that the abundance of feral cats should be decreased. Despite this result, 12% of respondents would like to see populations of feral cats persist in the islands. People's desire to see the abundance of cats reduced was highly correlated (0.54) with whether or not people enjoyed seeing feral cats: 84% of survey respondents dislike seeing feral cats. We also asked survey recipients if feral cats should be removed permanently or relocated away from areas with threatened or endangered wildlife: the majority of people (78%) support the idea of permanently removing feral cats, whereas 10.1% would prefer to see feral cats relocated away from the specified area, and a small proportion of people (3%) believe that feral cats that are being fed do not kill other animals. This research reveals that a small segment of society supports the presence of feral cats, and that the majority of people would prefer to see feral cats removed from areas with threatened native fauna.
Feral cats have flourished in urban areas of Hawai´i due to the state's favorable climate and people's positive perception of cats. However, the presence of large numbers of feral cats has raised concern both in terms of predation of native species and as vectors of disease. One disease, in particular, that has aroused a great deal of attention is toxoplasmosis, caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite. Cats are the definitive host of T. gondii and concerns arise regarding transmission to humans due to the relationships people have with cats. Another concern is the fact that the parasite has infected endemic and endangered species found in the state. Toxoplasma gondii oocysts are shed in cat excrement and can persist in soil between 1 and 4 years. The presence of T. gondii at cat colony sites could be an important factor when making decisions for the management of feral cats in the state. We intend to test soil samples taken from cat colony sites at the University of Hawai´i at Manoa for T. gondii oocysts using molecular identification methods. Cat colony sites are defined by feeding stations maintained by cat colony caretakers. Given that cats are definitive hosts of T. gondii, we hypothesize that the presence of toxoplasmosis in soil is correlated to cat colony locations. Because most cats within a colony remain in close proximity to their feeding location, we predict that toxoplasmosis is spatially contained within tight proximity to cat colonies. If T. gondii oocysts are present in soil at the University of Hawai´i at Manoa, then cat colonies may cause potential health hazards for landscaping personnel, students, staff, and visitors.
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