Feral Cats: The Domestic Predator 
by Gilbert Guzman
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Marfa, Texas
The Domestic Cat, Felis
domesticus, is derived from an ancestral wild species, Felis silvestris,
the European and African wild cat. A cat’s appearance, and behavior
such as hunting, still remains much the same as their wild relatives. Cats
were first domesticated in Egypt around 2000 BC. The export of domestic
cats was prohibited by Egyptians because they were worshiped as goddesses.
However, by 500 BC, the Greeks had acquired domestic cats, and by 300 AD
the Romans had introduced domestic cats to Britain. The domestic cat first
arrived in North America in the 1800’s and was brought to the New World
by the European colonists in order to control rat populations.
Based on U.S. Census data, the estimated number of urban
and rural cats has increased from 30 million in 1970 to 60 million in 1990.
This estimate only includes cats that people claim to own as pets, not those
that are free-ranging or semi-wild. Free-ranging cats are associated with
approximately 60% of the households in rural America, but are not usually
considered pets. It is estimated that in the United States, the combined
total of pets and free-ranging cats is in excess of 100 million individuals.
In many areas of the country, a person that provides care
and some form of identification for their domestic animals is legally responsible
for its welfare and control, and is considered personal property. The owner
is responsible for the cat’s movements, patterns, and behavior. In
many urban areas, cats can be live-trapped and either returned to the owner
or turned over to proper authorities. The laws vary from one part of the
country to another and one should check with their local authorities for
appropriate methods to deal with stray cats.
Free-ranging cats in our rural areas have the greatest
affect on wildlife, but even urban house pets kill live prey when allowed
to roam outside. Food habit studies of free-ranging domestic cats have been
conducted for over 50 years on four different continents. The results indicate
that 70% of a domestic cat’s diet consists of small mammals, while
birds make up 20%. The remaining 10% includes other animals such as lizards,
snakes, and insects. In Wisconsin, recent studies suggest that free-ranging
cats may be killing up to 39 million birds per year. Conservative estimates,
based on recent studies, indicate that domestic cats may hunt and kill hundreds
of million of small mammals and birds world-wide each year.
Domestic cats compete with native predators such as foxes,
coyotes, and bobcats that utilize these same prey items for food. While
native predator populations are controlled by diseases, predation, and competition
for food and home territory, the domestic cat is shielded from these dangers
by their owners. The cat’s urge to hunt is not suppressed by an adequate
food supply.
Factors such as habitat destruction, pesticide pollution,
and high domestic cat numbers, stress populations of songbirds and small
mammals. Second only to habitat destruction as an environmental problem,
cats have probably been involved in the extinction of many bird species.
Populations of birds such as the Least Tern, Piping Plover, and Loggerhead
Shrikes have been threatened by the predatory nature of domestic cats. Population
of small mammals, such as the Florida Marsh Rabbit, mice and woodrats have
also been reduced to the point of near extinction on Florida’s barrier
islands.
Owners of domestic cats can help by keeping only the cats
that they can maintain, and controlling reproduction by having their cats
neutered. Well fed, neutered females in rural farm areas will stay close
and hunt rodents near farm buildings. In south central
Wisconsin, the two most common causes of death in rural cats are disease
and being struck by automobiles. If at all possible, cat owners should keep
their pets indoors in order to reduce the possibility of unwanted reproduction,
disease and predation of wildlife. Refrain from disposing of unwanted cats
by releasing them in rural areas. This inhumane act only increases the rural
cat population and the affect these animals have on wildlife populations.
The general public can also help by eliminating sources of food such as
garbage and dishes of outdoor pet food that serve only as an attractant
for stray cats. Domestic cat colonies can grow and expand in the presence
of such food sources.
As mentioned earlier, cats are a significant source of
mortality for song birds and small mammals. Pet owners can help protect
native wildlife by locating bird feeders in sites that do not provide an
ambush point for cats, and providing some type of animal guard on trees
that have active bird nests.
Links to Other Feral Cat Pages:
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