Drivers and facilitators of hunting behaviour in domestic cats and options for management

Cecchetti, Martina; Crowley, Sarah L.; McDonald, Robbie A.

doi:10.1111/mam.12230

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 152 publications

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“…Cats have retained a similar behavioral repertoire to that of their wild ancestors (Bradshaw 2006), and killing might be strongly driven by such inherited instincts and not necessarily by specific attempts to address nutritional needs (Bradshaw et al 1999). Killing prey can also be facilitated by owner husbandry and the degree of domestication of the cat, and by the environment where the cat lives, which determines the availability and diversity of potential prey (Cecchetti et al 2021a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The persistence of hunting by domestic cats kept as companion animals that are generally and regularly provisioned with food suggests there may be physiological or behavioral needs that are not completely met in their environment and/or their provisioned diets. Hunting is a multi-faced behavior affected by a series of drivers, including cat evolutionary constraints, idiosyncratic nutritional physiology, and early life behavior (Cecchetti et al 2021a). Predatory behaviors can be expressed independently from hunger, and even well-fed cats hunt, or engage in pseudo-predatory play with their owners Bradshaw 1998, Ellis et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contributions of wild and provisioned foods to the diets of domestic cats that depredate wild animals

et al. 2021

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Predation of wildlife by domestic cats Felis catus presents a threat to biodiversity conservation in some ecological contexts. The proportions of wild prey captured and eaten by domestic cats and thus the contributions of wild prey to cat diets are hard to quantify. This limits the understanding of any impacts of cats may have on wild animal populations and confounds analyses of the effects of interventions aimed at reducing wildlife killing. We used stable isotope analyses to quantify the relative contributions of wild and provisioned foods to the diets of domestic cats kept as companion animals and which frequently captured wild prey. We tested the effects of treatments aimed at reducing killing upon stable isotope ratios of cat whiskers and, where treatments had significant effects, we estimated variation in the contributions of wild prey to cats' diets before and during treatment. We evaluated bells, Birdsbesafe collar covers, provision of food in a "puzzle feeder," provision of food in which meat was the principal source of protein, object play, and a control group. As expected, cat diets consisted primarily of provisioned foods, though the contribution of wild animals to the diets of these cats, all of which regularly caught wild animals, was low (cat food~96%, wild animals~3-4%). Compared to the pre-treatment period and control group, cats with a Birdsbesafe collar cover exhibited a significant reduction in nitrogen stable isotope ratios in their whiskers and consumed less wild prey, most likely attributable to effective inhibition of hunting, particularly for birds. Fitting cats with a Birdsbesafe collar cover, therefore, reduced both returns of wild birds and consumption of wild prey. While multiple interventions can significantly affect the numbers of wild animals that cats capture and return home, the remarkably small dietary contributions made by wild animal prey mean dietary change is harder to discern. Domestic cats rely almost exclusively on food provided by people, even when they frequently kill wild animals. This suggests that the hunting behavior of domestic cats may be driven by behavioral motivations, or by a need to address micronutrient requirements, but is unlikely to alter macronutrient intake.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of wild and provisioned foods to the diets of domestic cats that depredate wild animals

et al. 2021

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“…Further refinements, which may include reducing and replacing plastic toys and waste disposal bags, could be other simple changes to decrease environmental damage. Strategies to reduce predation by owned cats include restricting or managing outdoor access, wearable predation prevention devices such as specialized collars and bells, and nutrition and activity interventions ( Cecchetti et al 2020 ). However, developing humane cat predation prevention procedures while simultaneously meeting cat welfare needs remains an urgent need in both feline and climate research.…”

Section: Companion Animals Contributing To Climate Change and Exacerbating Climate Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change and Companion Animals: Identifying Links and Opportunities for Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies

Protopopova

Eagan

et al. 2021

Integrative and Comparative Biology

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Recent natural disasters and weather extremes are a stark reminder that we live in a climate crisis. Climate scientists and policymakers have asked each discipline to anticipate and create mitigation and adaptation plans in preparation for a worsening future. Companion animals both impact and are impacted by the changing climate through their intrinsically linked relationships to human society. In this theoretical paper, we argue that companion animal scientists are well-suited to address climate change issues. We identify several anticipated climate change outcomes, such as an increase in extreme weather events, human migration, disasters, and an increase in human inequity, and connect these outcomes to identified or hypothesized impacts on companion animals and the human-animal bond. We suggest opportunities to reduce climate change impacts on companion animals that include alterations to owner caretaking behaviours and breeding practices, and education of owners and governments on zoonosis and disaster preparedness. Furthermore, building climate resilience through decreasing inequity in companion animal fields is paramount; and we propose that a starting place can be in animal sheltering and other support services. We also summarize how companion animals and owners’ caretaking behaviours are impacting climate change through the use of finite natural resources as well as pollution and carbon emissions. We propose that replacement, reduction, and refinement, that guide laboratory animal research, can also be useful to mitigate the effects of companion animals on the environment. We suggest criteria for successful mitigation and adaptation plans to include equitability, sustainability, respect for animals, and measurability. Finally, we end on a call to all companion animal professionals to actively consider their role in mitigating the impact of companion animals on the climate and preparing for the fallout of climate change in their communities.

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“…Pet cats are strongly linked to human presence, and their presence may therefore represent a factor to account for when studying mesocarnivore interactions in urban areas. Pet cats can indicate gardens with pet food left outside or in the trash, but also represent a disturbance for other wildlife species (Cechetti et al., 2021 ; Doherty et al., 2017 ; Medina et al., 2011 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal interactions of a novel mesocarnivore community in an urban environment before and during SARS‐CoV‐2 lockdown

Louvrier

Planillo

Stillfried

et al. 2021

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Studying species interactions and niche segregation under human pressure provides important insights into species adaptation, community functioning and ecosystem stability. Due to their high plasticity in behaviour and diet, urban mesocarnivores are ideal species for studying community assembly in novel communities. We analysed the spatial and temporal species interactions of an urban mesocarnivore community composed of the red fox Vulpes vulpes and the marten Martes sp. as native species, the raccoon Procyon lotor as invasive species, and the cat Felis catus as a domestic species in combination with human disturbance modulated by the SARS‐CoV‐2 lockdown effect that happened while the study was conducted. We analysed camera trap data and applied a joint species distribution model to understand not only the environmental variables influencing the detection of mesocarnivores and their use intensity of environmental features but also the species’ co‐occurrences while accounting for environmental variables. We then assessed whether they displayed temporal niche partitioning based on activity analyses, and finally analysed at a smaller temporal scale the time of delay after the detection of another focal species. We found that species were more often detected and displayed a higher use intensity in gardens during the SARS‐CoV‐2 lockdown period, while showing a shorter temporal delay during the same period, meaning a high human‐induced spatiotemporal overlap. All three wild species spatially co‐occurred within the urban area, with a positive response of raccoons to cats in detection and use intensity, whereas foxes showed a negative trend towards cats. When assessing the temporal partitioning, we found that all wild species showed overlapping nocturnal activities. All species displayed temporal segregation based on temporal delay. According to the temporal delay analyses, cats were the species avoided the most by all wild species. To conclude, we found that although the wild species were positively associated in space, the avoidance occurred at a smaller temporal scale, and human pressure in addition led to high spatiotemporal overlap. Our study sheds light to the complex patterns underlying the interactions in a mesocarnivore community both spatially and temporally, and the exacerbated effect of human pressure on community dynamics.

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Drivers and facilitators of hunting behaviour in domestic cats and options for management

Cited by 21 publications

References 152 publications

Contributions of wild and provisioned foods to the diets of domestic cats that depredate wild animals

Contributions of wild and provisioned foods to the diets of domestic cats that depredate wild animals

Climate Change and Companion Animals: Identifying Links and Opportunities for Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies

Spatiotemporal interactions of a novel mesocarnivore community in an urban environment before and during SARS‐CoV‐2 lockdown

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