Emerging laws must not protect stray cats and their impacts

Carrete, Martina; Clavero, Miguel; Arrondo, Eneko; Traveset, Anna; Bernardo‐Madrid, Rubén; Vilà, Montserrat; Blas, Julio; Nogales, Manuel; Delibes, Miguel; García‐Rodríguez, Alberto; Hernández‐Brito, Dailos; Romero-Vidal, Pedro; Tella, José Luis

doi:10.1111/csp2.12706

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…are known to be attacked by free-roaming dogs in Argentina 17 and elsewhere 14 , 15 . Ambiguous pet management regulations and poor public access to these regulations work against conservation programs 44 , 58 , 69 . To maximize results at a local level, conservation action and budgets should be targeted at key sites, taking into account the entire range of conservation problems of these areas 70 .…”

Section: Concluding Remarks and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lack of accessibility and clarity in regulations concerning dog access to protected areas lowers public awareness

Zamora‐Nasca

Lambertucci

2023

Sci Rep

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While natural protected areas are conceived for nature conservation, humans and their activities must also be considered. Conflict between the public and managers of protected areas can be minimized by regulations that clearly communicate which activities are allowed. Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) affect threatened species and impact numerous protected areas. In this study we evaluate: (1) the accessibility and clarity of regulations regarding dog access to protected areas in Argentina, (2) the public’s knowledge of these regulations, (3) the public’s expectations of the regulations (4) which institutions people consider should act when dog aggression occurs, and (5) measures suggested by people when dog aggression occurs. Poor accessibility and clarity of regulations were associated with poor public knowledge of them; there was also an association between visited protected areas that did not mention regulations and respondents who reported not knowing whether dogs were allowed or thinking dogs were allowed. In general, the respondents supported measures to regulate dog access to protected areas and the control of problematic dogs. We discuss several aspects that lead to a lack of clarity on dog regulations in protected areas and suggest approaches that could be used to overcome this conservation problem.

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Section: Concluding Remarks and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lack of accessibility and clarity in regulations concerning dog access to protected areas lowers public awareness

Zamora‐Nasca

Lambertucci

2023

Sci Rep

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“…Depending on the context and intensity, the effectiveness of different cat management methods can vary (Benka et al, 2022; Schmidt et al, 2009; Thompson et al, 2022). The context in small islands with low numbers of cats (Nogales et al, 2004) is very different to that of large mainland cities with high numbers of cats (Gunther et al, 2022), so it is not correct to compare the effectiveness and costs of the same management method in these two different contexts as Carrete et al (2022) do to criticize trap‐neuter‐return (TNR) programs. The suitability of using one method over another cannot be generalized.…”

Section: Cat Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This perspective article was written after reading the perspective paper by Carrete et al (2022), which criticizes the inclusion of stray cats in the new laws for the protection and welfare of animals elaborated by the Directorate for Animal Rights of the Spanish Ministry of Social Rights and 2030 Agenda (Carrete et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among small and medium-sized animals, the prey of cats varies according to what they find available, ranging from invertebrates, such as cockroaches and grasshoppers, to pigeons, and young rabbits (Bonnaud et al, 2011;Fitzgerald & Karl, 1979;Krauze-Gryz et al, 2017;Molsher et al, 1999Molsher et al, , 2017. This perspective article was written after reading the perspective paper by Carrete et al (2022), which criticizes the inclusion of stray cats in the new laws for the protection and welfare of animals elaborated by the Directorate for Animal Rights of the Spanish Ministry of Social Rights and 2030 Agenda (Carrete et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impacts of free‐roaming cats cannot be generalized and their role in rodent management should not be overlooked

Badenes‐Pérez

2022

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Cats, Felis catus L. (Carnivora: Felidae), were domesticated because of their role in rodent control around human settlements. Free-roaming cats (henceforth, referred to as "cats") can predate on a wide variety of small-to mediumsized animals and affect biodiversity. The impact of cats on biodiversity varies from country to country, region to region, and habitat to habitat. Depending on the location and context, the overall impact of cats on biodiversity can be negative, neutral, or positive. Management of cats should take into account the complex interactions that occur between cats, rodents, and the species they prey upon.

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“…Readers of the Perspectives by Carrete et al (2022), who oppose managing stray cats Felis catus by Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) in Spain, and by Badenes-Pérez (2022), who supports Spanish legislation to protect stray cat clowders and require TNR, know that their respective views are held strongly and claimed to be evidence-based. Here, we contribute to the arguments centering on putative effects of free-ranging cats on biodiversity through predation (especially given cats' catholic diet) as well as highlighting disease spread, and management of pest rodents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The animal welfare, environmental impact, pest control functions, and disease effects of free‐ranging cats can be generalized and all are grounds for humanely reducing their numbers

Calver,

Cherkassky,

Cove

et al. 2023

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Although the domestic cat Felis catus is implicated in multiple faunal extinctions and threatens many extant species, there is widespread, well‐funded advocacy for desexing unowned cats near human habitation and returning them to site to be fed by volunteers, arguing that this prevents euthanasia, is unlikely to be hazardous to wildlife or a public health risk, and controls non‐native rodents. To the contrary, we present unequivocal evidence that this approach harms cat welfare, does threaten wildlife and public health, and exacerbates rather than controls rodent problems. We argue instead that unowned cats near human habitation can be controlled effectively by intensive adoption and responsible euthanasia when necessary, supported by licensing and containment of adopted/owned cats.

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Emerging laws must not protect stray cats and their impacts

Cited by 9 publications

References 14 publications

Lack of accessibility and clarity in regulations concerning dog access to protected areas lowers public awareness

Lack of accessibility and clarity in regulations concerning dog access to protected areas lowers public awareness

The impacts of free‐roaming cats cannot be generalized and their role in rodent management should not be overlooked

The animal welfare, environmental impact, pest control functions, and disease effects of free‐ranging cats can be generalized and all are grounds for humanely reducing their numbers

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