Cats, beloved household pets, are also revealed as formidable hunters, consuming over 2,000 species globally, raising conservation concerns, according to a study published in Nature Communications. Cats are described as one of the most problematic invasive species, causing ecological disruption due to their predatory habits.
Conducted by researchers, including Christopher Lepczyk from Auburn University, the study is the first to quantify the global scale of a cat’s diet. Cats prey on a wide range of species, including birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, and amphibians, with 17% of their hunts being a conservation concern. The study identifies cats’ impact on islands as particularly damaging, where they consume three times the number of species of conservation concern compared to continents.
On islands, cats have been responsible for the extinction of certain species, such as New Zealand’s Stephens Island Rockwren and the New Zealand quail. In Australia, an estimated 300 million animals are killed by small felines annually, prompting conservation groups to advocate for keeping cats indoors. Some areas have implemented feline lockdowns, such as Walldorf in Germany, where people are advised to keep cats indoors for three months in spring to protect an endangered bird species, the crested larks.
Cats have become a controversial topic in New Zealand, with debates over their impact on local wildlife. One politician even campaigned to eradicate domesticated cats, leading to controversy as children were encouraged to shoot feral cats. The study highlights that cats predominantly eat what is present in their environment, estimating that cats consume nine percent of known bird species, six percent of known mammals, and four percent of known reptile species. The findings emphasize the need for conservation measures to mitigate the ecological impact of cats on various species worldwide.
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