Abstract
This study’s objective was to determine seasonal and diurnal vs. nocturnal home range size, as well as predation for free-ranging farm cats at a livestock unit in Northwest Georgia. Seven adult cats were tracked with attached GPS units for up to two weeks for one spring and two summer seasons from May 2010 through August 2011. Three and five cats were tracked for up to two weeks during the fall and winter seasons, respectively. Feline scat was collected during this entire period. Cats were fed a commercial cat food daily. There was no seasonal effect (P > 0.05) on overall (95% KDE and 90% KDE) or core home range size (50% KDE). Male cats tended (P = 0.08) to have larger diurnal and nocturnal core home ranges (1.09 ha) compared to female cats (0.64 ha). Reproductively intact cats (n = 2) had larger (P < 0.0001) diurnal and nocturnal home ranges as compared to altered cats. Feline scat processing separated scat into prey parts, and of the 210 feline scats collected during the study, 75.24% contained hair. Of these 158 scat samples, 86 contained non-cat hair and 72 contained only cat hair. Other prey components included fragments of bone in 21.43% of scat and teeth in 12.86% of scat. Teeth were used to identify mammalian prey hunted by these cats, of which the Hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) was the primary rodent. Other targeted mammals were Peromyscus sp., Sylvilagus sp. and Microtus sp. Invertebrates and birds were less important as prey, but all mammalian prey identified in this study consisted of native animals. While the free-ranging farm cats in this study did not adjust their home range seasonally, sex and reproductive status did increase diurnal and nocturnal home range size. Ultimately, larger home ranges of free-ranging cats could negatively impact native wildlife.
Highlights
Felis silvestris catus, the modern day domestic cat, is the most widespread terrestrial carnivorous species on earth and as such, can have a major impact on native prey populations, including small mammals, avian species, and insects [1]
Over the course of the study, home range sizes ranged from 4.26 ha to 10.23 ha at 95% kernel density estimation (KDE) for all cats
The spring and summer 2011 home ranges were numerically smaller at 95 and 90% KDE, while fall was smallest at 50% KDE (Table 2)
Summary
The modern day domestic cat, is the most widespread terrestrial carnivorous species on earth and as such, can have a major impact on native prey populations, including small mammals, avian species, and insects [1]. Feral and free-ranging cats can be present in very high densities, which can potentially lead to devastating effects on native animals. Annual mammal mortality due to cats in the United States has been estimated to be between 6.9 and 20.7 billion, with 89% of the mortality caused by un-owned cats, including farm/barn cats [6]. Research has suggested that farm/barn cats living at higher densities and receiving some food from humans and can have substantial effects on local native animal populations [7]. Cats in these situations can be described as subsidized predators, affecting native prey, but possibly out-competing native predators. Research supports that regular access to food provided by humans does not suppress hunting behavior in cats, and they may continue to kill even when prey populations are low [8, 9]
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