Research overview: anthropogenic noise and felid behaviour in cities

Urban noise from traffic, construction and human activity can mask acoustic cues, induce stress and alter the behaviour of wildlife, including felids that rely on hearing for hunting and vigilance. This overview synthesises research on how chronic anthropogenic noise affects carnivore habitat use, stress physiology and predator-prey dynamics, and the implications for cats hunting cryptic prey by sound. It examines avoidance of noisy areas, masking of prey-generated and conspecific signals, and the difficulty of isolating noise from co-occurring disturbances such as light and human presence. The synthesis frames noise pollution as a subtle sensory stressor shaping felid life in human-dominated soundscapes.