Drivers of predation by pet cats: environment overcomes predator’s intrinsic characteristics

Cordonnier, Marion; Ferry, Nicolas; Renaud, Estelle; Maurice, Anne-Claire; Bonnaud, Elsa; Baudry, Emmanuelle

doi:10.1007/s11252-022-01231-w

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Regarding the relationship between the individual characteristics and the reported predation rate of cats, we observed a significant effect of breed in addition to the four personality traits studied here. By contrast, age and sex did not seem to play a significant role, as also observed by Cordonnier et al (2022). Note, however, that we excluded cats younger than 1 year from the analyses, while their sexed and desexed status was not recorded.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…By contrast, age and sex did not seem to play a significant role, as also observed by Cordonnier et al (2022). Note, however, that we excluded cats younger than 1 year from the analyses, while their sexed and desexed status was not recorded.…”

Section: Factors Influencing Owner-reported Frequency Of Prey Brought...mentioning

confidence: 72%

“…To run the subsequent analyses regarding predation, additional responses were excluded from the previously described dataset: cats living in apartments with minimal outdoor access as well as cats living in houses but without daily outdoor access ( n = 1217), owners of four or more cats (Cordonnier et al, 2022) who would supposedly have difficulty determining which cat brought home which prey ( n = 188), incomplete responses ( n = 2), and cats belonging to the Bengal breed ( n = 36) because when the survey was posted on a Bengal cat Facebook group, several people suggested in the comments that participants give false answers to questions relating to predation. The final dataset included 719 responses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To this end, we surveyed a large sample of cat owners living in France and estimated the personality traits of their cats using the Feline Five personality model of Litchfield et al (2017) as well as the frequency of birds and mammals returned home by the cats as reported by their owners. We expected that cats with “low neuroticism (boldness, leading to travelling, exploring) or high extraversion (curiosity, leading to boredom), would potentially be more interested in hunting wild prey” (Cecchetti, Crowley, & McDonald, 2021), To control for potential confounding factors, we also included questions about variables previously shown to influence pet cat predation: type of environment around the home, time spent outdoors, individual characteristics, and breed (Castañeda et al, 2019, 2020; Cordonnier et al, 2022; Kauhala et al, 2015; Lepczyk et al, 2004; Robertson, 1998; Salonen et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Variations in hunting activity have also been linked to the individual characteristics of cats such as their sex, age, and body size (Kays & DeWan, 2004; Moseby et al, 2015), although a number of studies have failed to find an association with these factors (Cordonnier et al, 2022; Loyd et al, 2013; Tschanz et al, 2011; Woods et al, 2003). Recently, Cecchetti et al (2021a) hypothesized that personality could be a significant factor contributing to variations in hunting activity between cats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pet cat personality linked to owner‐reported predation frequency

Cordonnier

Perrot

Ferry

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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The domestic cat, Felis catus, is one of the most popular and widespread domestic animals. Because domestic cats can reach high population densities and retain at least some tendency to hunt, their overall impact on wildlife can be severe. Domestic cats have highly variable predation rates depending on the availability of prey in their environment, their owners' practices, and individual cat characteristics. Among these characteristics, cat personality has recently been hypothesized to be an important factor contributing to variations in the hunting activity of cats. In this study, we surveyed 2508 cat owners living in France about their cats' personalities, using the Feline Five personality framework, and the frequency with which cats bring home prey. Personality traits were analyzed using factor analysis and related to predation frequency using cumulative logit models. For both birds and small mammals, cats with high levels of extraversion or low levels of neuroticism had significantly higher frequencies of prey return. Owners whose cats had low levels of agreeableness or high levels of dominance reported a significantly lower frequency of bird return.Personality differences therefore seem to contribute to the high variability in predation rates among domestic cats. We also found that the owner-reported prey return frequencies were significantly higher for cats spending more time outdoors, for nonpedigree cats, and for owners living in rural or suburban areas as opposed to urban areas. By contrast, we did not detect an effect of cat sex or age on their reported prey return rates.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Factors Influencing Owner-reported Frequency Of Prey Brought...mentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pet cat personality linked to owner‐reported predation frequency

Cordonnier

Perrot

Ferry

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Whiskers in the city: domestic cat predation in Ecuadorian coastal cities and associated factors

Panchana,

Herrera,

Vargas

et al. 2024

Urban Ecosyst

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Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of home range size in owned domestic cats Felis catus: Insights from a French suburban study

Philippe‐Lesaffre,

Lusardi,

Castañeda

et al. 2023

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Domestic cats' varying home range sizes are connected to their impact on wildlife. Most of the previous studies suffered from lacking causality or small sample sizes. To overcome these limitations, we conducted a comprehensive study involving 55 owned domestic cats in a French suburban area where each cat was monitored during one or nine sessions over 5 years and all four seasons. We tracked the cats using GPS technology while controlling for the device used for monitoring, climatic conditions, environmental changes, and their degree of roaming. Using linear mixed‐effect models, we found that age and sex significantly predict home range size. Younger cats tend to have larger home ranges and male cats have larger home ranges compared to females. We also found that the device used during the monitoring influenced the size of the home range. Surprisingly, climatic conditions, surrounding environment and degree of roaming had no significant impact. When considering our models, most of the variability in home range size was due to random effects that accounted for the identity of cats which were monitored one or more times. Therefore, a deeper understanding of intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing home range size in domestic cats is crucial. This includes investigating individual behavior, breed‐specific traits, and the role of owner care but also reassessing management solutions for reducing cat roaming and not only focusing on restrictive ones. Identifying these factors will enable the development of more effective management.

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Drivers of predation by pet cats: environment overcomes predator’s intrinsic characteristics

Cited by 5 publications

References 72 publications

Pet cat personality linked to owner‐reported predation frequency

Pet cat personality linked to owner‐reported predation frequency

Whiskers in the city: domestic cat predation in Ecuadorian coastal cities and associated factors

Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of home range size in owned domestic cats Felis catus: Insights from a French suburban study

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