Research library
🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries
AI-curated summaries for the pride’s library — verify citations independently before citing.
16 summaries in Urban Wildcat Ecology on domestic-cat
Cat Wars: the consequences of a cuddly killer
ReviewThis widely read synthesis assembled the scientific case that free-ranging domestic cats are a significant driver of wildlife declines and a vector for zoonotic disease, while examining the contentiou…
Marra PP, Santella C · Princeton University Press · 2016
Ecological impact of inside and outside house cats around a suburban preserve
PaperThis study quantified prey returned by house cats living beside a suburban nature preserve, distinguishing cats kept partly indoors from those roaming freely, and estimated the predation they imposed…
Kays RW, DeWan AA · Animal Conservation · 2004
Home range, habitat use and activity of free-roaming domestic cats
PaperThis study used radio-telemetry to characterise the movements of owned and un-owned free-roaming domestic cats in an urbanising landscape, revealing that un-owned cats ranged over far larger areas tha…
Horn JA, Mateus-Pinilla N, Warner RE, Heske EJ · Journal of Wildlife Management · 2011
Research overview: European wildcats at the agricultural and urban edge
OverviewThe European wildcat occupies forest and agricultural mosaics across Europe, where proximity to settlements brings hybridisation with domestic cats, road mortality and habitat fragmentation. This over…
Research overview: cat containment and keep-cats-indoors policy
OverviewContaining pet cats indoors or within enclosures is increasingly promoted to reduce wildlife predation, roaming-related cat mortality and disease, with some jurisdictions enacting curfews or containme…
Research overview: domestic cat predation on native urban wildlife
OverviewFree-ranging domestic cats prey on a wide range of urban and suburban wildlife, with documented effects on birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. This overview synthesises predation-rate studi…
Research overview: domestic cats threatening wild felids through hybridization
OverviewWhere domestic cats overlap with wild felids, interbreeding can erode the genetic distinctiveness of wild species, a documented threat to European wildcats and a concern for other small cats near sett…
Research overview: domestic cats within urban mesopredator communities
OverviewDomestic cats occupy the urban carnivore community alongside native mesopredators and larger carnivores, and their abundance is shaped by interactions with these species. This overview synthesises res…
Research overview: free-ranging cat density across the urban gradient
OverviewFree-ranging domestic cat density often peaks in human-dominated areas where supplemental feeding and shelter abound, declining toward wildland where native predators and scarcer food limit them. This…
Research overview: free-ranging cats, disease and wildlife-human health links
OverviewFree-ranging domestic cats are reservoirs and vectors for pathogens affecting wildlife, other cats and humans, including the protozoan that causes toxoplasmosis and various feline viruses. This overvi…
Research overview: hybridization between wild and domestic cats near settlements
OverviewWhere small wild felids overlap with free-ranging domestic cats around settlements, hybridisation and disease transmission can threaten the genetic integrity and health of wild populations. This overv…
Research overview: the mesopredator release concept in urban ecosystems
OverviewMesopredator release, in which the decline of top predators allows smaller predators to increase and overexploit prey, is a foundational concept linking urban fragmentation to biodiversity loss. This…
Research overview: trap-neuter-return and the management of free-ranging cats
OverviewTrap-neuter-return, in which free-ranging cats are sterilised and returned to colonies, is among the most contentious topics at the intersection of animal welfare and conservation. This overview synth…
Research overview: trophic consequences of subsidised urban predators
OverviewWhen anthropogenic food subsidises predators, the effects ripple through food webs, altering predation pressure on native prey and interactions among carnivores. This overview synthesises research on…
Small home ranges and large local ecological impacts of pet cats
PaperDrawing on GPS-tracking of hundreds of pet cats across several countries, this study found that owned cats typically stayed close to home with small home ranges, yet concentrated their hunting in thos…
Kays R, Dunn RR, Parsons AW, Mcdonald B, et al · Animal Conservation · 2020
The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States
PaperThis landmark quantitative synthesis estimated that free-ranging domestic cats kill billions of birds and many billions of mammals annually in the United States, identifying them as among the largest…
Loss SR, Will T, Marra PP · Nature Communications · 2013