What the Cat Dragged in: Quantifying Prey Return Rates of Pet Cats (<i>Felis catus</i>) With Outdoor Access in the UK.

ABSTRACT: Non-native predators can cause great harm to natural ecosystems through competition for resources and by directly predating on native species. Domestic cats (Felis catus) predate on wild prey throughout the world and have been implicated in a number of species declines. However, in the UK, long-term, widespread research is lacking. Here, the study aimed (i) to quantify prey returned home across the country and (ii) to investigate factors which may influence these return rates. A predation survey was conducted on 553 cats across the UK for up to 43 months (2018-2021), recording all prey returned home and subsequently detected by the cats' owners. All owners of cats with outdoor access were encouraged to participate, the only exclusion criterion being indoor-only. Data were gathered u

SUBMITTER: Lockwood HL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11884926 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature