Research overview: thermal stress and microclimate use by urban felids

Cities create urban heat islands and altered microclimates that can impose thermal stress on felids, influencing their use of shade, water and cool refuges, especially as climate warming intensifies. This overview synthesises research on how felids select thermally favourable resting sites, adjust activity to avoid heat, and depend on vegetated and riparian cool spots within developed landscapes. It examines the interaction of heat with water availability, fire and drought in regions such as southern California, and the implications for habitat design and connectivity. The synthesis frames thermal ecology as an increasingly important dimension of felid persistence in warming, built environments.