Community Attitudes and Practices of Urban Residents Regarding Predation by Pet Cats on Wildlife: An International Comparison

Abstract

International differences in practices and attitudes regarding pet cats' interactions with wildlife were assessed by surveying citizens from at least two cities in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, China and Japan. Predictions tested were: (i) cat owners would agree less than non-cat owners that cats might threaten wildlife, (ii) cat owners value wildlife less than non-cat owners, (iii) cat owners are less accepting of cat legislation/restrictions than non-owners, and (iv) respondents from regions with high endemic biodiversity (Australia, New Zealand, China and the USA state of Hawaii) would be most concerned about pet cats threatening wildlife. Everywhere non-owners were more likely than owners to agree that pet cats killing wildlife were a problem in cities, towns and rural areas. Agreement amongst non-owners was highest in Australia (95%) and New Zealand (78%) and lowest in the UK (38%). Irrespective of ownership, over 85% of respondents from all countries except China (65%) valued wildlife in cities, towns and rural areas. Non-owners advocated cat legislation more strongly than owners except in Japan. Australian non-owners were the most supportive (88%), followed by Chinese non-owners (80%) and Japanese owners (79.5%). The UK was least supportive (non-owners 43%, owners 25%). Many Australian (62%), New Zealand (51%) and Chinese owners (42%) agreed that pet cats killing wildlife in cities, towns and rural areas was a problem, while Hawaiian owners were similar to the mainland USA (20%). Thus high endemic biodiversity might contribute to attitudes in some, but not all, countries. Husbandry practices varied internationally, with predation highest where fewer cats were confined. Although the risk of wildlife population declines caused by pet cats justifies precautionary action, campaigns based on wildlife protection are unlikely to succeed outside Australia or New Zealand. Restrictions on roaming protect wildlife and benefit cat welfare, so welfare is a better rationale.

Research challenges and conservation implications for urban cat management in New Zealand

“…How does this compare with the beliefs of New Zealand cat owners? A survey of 151 cat owners in New Zealand indicated that 95% of companion cats had free access to the outdoors (Farnworth et al 2010a), whereas a recent survey found that New Zealand cat owners had low support for 24-h containment of cats (18.6% of respondents; Hall et al 2016). Further research to identify the drivers and barriers of pet-cat containment is warranted.…”

“…Therefore, social research to help understand the public perception of cats Hall et al 2016 in New Zealand is vital. Some research has begun (see Table 1), including investigating the use and perception of cat collars (cat owners preferred to use microchips for identification purposes; Harrod et al 2016), to the acceptability of unowned-cat control (respondents who owned cats perceived non-lethal control of unowned cats to be more acceptable than lethal control methods, when compared with non-owners; Farnworth et al 2011).…”

“…Results have indicated that most of New Zealand respondents agreed that pet cats in nature reserves are harmful to wildlife. Despite this, responses suggested that New Zealanders that did not own cats were much more likely to support the idea of cat legislation than those who did own cats (Hall et al 2016). …”

“…Recent research has suggested that advocacy campaigns for cat containment that focus on the benefits to cat welfare, rather than wildlife conservation, may be more successful (MacDonald et al 2015;Hall et al 2016) and that a better understanding by cat owners of the risks encountered by free-ranging cats may result in behaviour change (Gramza et al 2016). Integrating social science with ecological studies is particularly useful, and can be achieved well by using citizen-science methodologies.…”

Social challenges of spatial planning for outdoor cat management in Amami Oshima Island, Japan

“…On the other hand, cats are one of the most popular companion animals worldwide and have several positive roles in human lifestyles (Hall et al, 2016). Cats comfort people, and interactions with cats, including outdoor ones, relieve people from stress and improve human health (Brickel, 1979;Siegel, 1990;Wood et al, 2007).…”