A spatial agent-based model of feral cats and analysis of population and nuisance controls

Ireland, Tim; Neilan, Rachael Miller

doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.06.014

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Interestingly, nine cats sterilized and with ear-tips were noted in the record to not have been sterilized or ear tipped through ORCAT, which suggests deliberate abandonment or, less likely, cats taken to alternative clinic for TNR surgery by an individual. Introgression, particularly of intact cats, has been noted to be a barrier to decreasing cat populations over time through TNR efforts (13, 21, 22). It is unclear whether the introgression observed here was higher or lower than other geographic areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decrease in Population and Increase in Welfare of Community Cats in a Twenty-Three Year Trap-Neuter-Return Program in Key Largo, FL: The ORCAT Program

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a long-term (23-year) trap-neuter-return program on the population size of community cats in the Ocean Reef Community and to describe the demographic composition and outcome of enrolled cats. A retrospective study was performed using both cat census data collected between 1999 and 2013 as well as individual medical records for cats whose first visit occurred between 3/31/1995 and 12/31/2017. Medical record entries were reviewed to determine program inputs, cat outcomes, retroviral disease prevalence, and average age of first visit, sterilization, and death through 6/11/2018. Change over time was analyzed via linear regression. The free-roaming population decreased from 455 cats recorded in 1999 to 206 recorded in 2013 (55% decrease, P < 0.0001). There were 3,487 visits recorded for 2,529 community cats, with 869 ovariohysterectomies and 822 orchiectomies performed. At last recorded visit, there were 1,111 cats returned back to their original location, and 1,419 cats removed via adoption (510), transfer to the adoption center (201), euthanasia of unhealthy or retrovirus positive cats (441), died in care (58), or outcome of dead on arrival (209). The number of first visits per year decreased 80% from 348 in 1995 to 68 in 2017. The estimated average age of the active cat population increased by 0.003 months each year (P = 0.031) from 16.6 months in 1995 to 43.8 months in 2017. The mean age of cats at removal increased 1.9 months per year over time (P < 0.0001) from 6.4 months in 1995 to 77.3 months in 2017. The mean age of cats at return to the original location was 20.8 months, which did not change over time. The overall retrovirus prevalence over the entire duration was 6.5%, with FIV identified in 3.3% of cats and FeLV identified in 3.6%. Retrovirus prevalence decreased by 0.32% per year (P = 0.001), with FIV decreasing by 0.16% per year (P = 0.013) and FeLV decreasing 0.18% per year (P = 0.033). In conclusion, a trap-neuter-return program operating for over two decades achieved a decrease in population and an increase in population welfare as measured by increased average age of population and decreased retrovirus prevalence.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decrease in Population and Increase in Welfare of Community Cats in a Twenty-Three Year Trap-Neuter-Return Program in Key Largo, FL: The ORCAT Program

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Research into TNR for cat management has increased dramatically since the 1990s [33]. Numerous ancillary studies contributing important knowledge about TNR programs have been published―such as gauging the motivations of caretakers [42,59,60], reporting public attitudes towards TNR and acceptability as a management strategy for stray cats [61,62], investigating cat health [63,64,65], the possible relationship between TNR and shelter intakes [46,51], developing population models [66,67], and determining the home ranges [68] and activities of cats in colonies [69,70,71]. Notably, however, there is still a dearth of robust evidence demonstrating the long-term success of TNR programs in reducing stray cat population numbers, both in the USA and overseas [44,72].…”

Section: Population Control Under Tnr Programs—fundamental Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Case of Letting the Cat out of The Bag—Why Trap-Neuter-Return Is Not an Ethical Solution for Stray Cat (Felis catus) Management

Crawford

Calver

Fleming

2019

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs, in which stray cats are captured, neutered and returned to the environment are advocated as a humane, ethical alternative to euthanasia. We review the TNR literature in light of current debate over whether or not there should be further TNR trials in Australia. We revisit the problems arising from stray cats living in association with human habitation and estimate how many stray cats would have to be processed through a scientifically-guided TNR program to avoid high euthanasia rates. We also identify 10 ethical and welfare challenges that have to be addressed: we consider the quality of life for stray cats, where they would live, whether the TNR process itself is stressful, whether TNR cats are vulnerable to injury, parasites and disease, can be medically treated, stray cats’ body condition and diet, and their impacts on people, pet cats, and urban wildlife, especially endemic fauna. We conclude that TNR is unsuitable for Australia in almost all situations because it is unlikely to resolve problems caused by stray cats or meet ethical and welfare challenges. Targeted adoption, early-age desexing, community education initiatives and responsible pet ownership have greater promise to minimize euthanasia, reduce numbers rapidly, and address the identified issues.

show abstract

“…The fitted relationship ( Fig 5 ) was where K is the city-specific carrying capacity based on urban area extent as described above and N is the population abundance of free-roaming cats. For kittens, there is support for the hypothesis that hormone-mediated aggressive interactions result in higher mortality in fully intact populations [ 34 ] which has implications for the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing population size [ 14 , 18 ]. Therefore, we considered density-dependent survival to vary by the proportion of the population that is sterilized in free-roaming kittens based on the data presented in Gunther et al ([ 34 ]; Fig 6 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of population models for cats have been developed to understand population dynamics and to quantify how interventions are likely to reduce population abundance. To date, most population modeling efforts have focused on feral cats [ 13 , 14 ], considered a limited set of interventions focused on lethal culls or sterilization [ 14 – 20 ], and largely ignored the transition of cats between subpopulations except for low rates of abandonment [ 14 , 19 , 20 ]. While these models are useful, it is important to recognize that they have focused on a limited portion of the total cat population and have considered the characteristics of cat population sizes specific to very small urban areas [ 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multistate matrix population model to assess the contributions and impacts on population abundance of domestic cats in urban areas including owned cats, unowned cats, and cats in shelters

Flockhart

Coe

2018

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Concerns over cat homelessness, over-taxed animal shelters, public health risks, and environmental impacts has raised attention on urban-cat populations. To truly understand cat population dynamics, the collective population of owned cats, unowned cats, and cats in the shelter system must be considered simultaneously because each subpopulation contributes differently to the overall population of cats in a community (e.g., differences in neuter rates, differences in impacts on wildlife) and cats move among categories through human interventions (e.g., adoption, abandonment). To assess this complex socio-ecological system, we developed a multistate matrix model of cats in urban areas that include owned cats, unowned cats (free-roaming and feral), and cats that move through the shelter system. Our model requires three inputs—location, number of human dwellings, and urban area—to provide testable predictions of cat abundance for any city in North America. Model-predicted population size of unowned cats in seven Canadian cities were not significantly different than published estimates (p = 0.23). Model-predicted proportions of sterile feral cats did not match observed sterile cat proportions for six USA cities (p = 0.001). Using a case study from Guelph, Ontario, Canada, we compared model-predicted to empirical estimates of cat abundance in each subpopulation and used perturbation analysis to calculate relative sensitivity of vital rates to cat abundance to demonstrate how management or mismanagement in one portion of the population could have repercussions across all portions of the network. Our study provides a general framework to consider cat population abundance in urban areas and, with refinement that includes city-specific parameter estimates and modeling, could provide a better understanding of population dynamics of cats in our communities.

show abstract

A spatial agent-based model of feral cats and analysis of population and nuisance controls

Cited by 13 publications

References 49 publications

Decrease in Population and Increase in Welfare of Community Cats in a Twenty-Three Year Trap-Neuter-Return Program in Key Largo, FL: The ORCAT Program

Decrease in Population and Increase in Welfare of Community Cats in a Twenty-Three Year Trap-Neuter-Return Program in Key Largo, FL: The ORCAT Program

A Case of Letting the Cat out of The Bag—Why Trap-Neuter-Return Is Not an Ethical Solution for Stray Cat (Felis catus) Management

Multistate matrix population model to assess the contributions and impacts on population abundance of domestic cats in urban areas including owned cats, unowned cats, and cats in shelters

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About