“The Fox and the Cat”: Sometimes they do not agree

Sogliani, Davide; Mori, Emiliano

doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2018.07.003

Cited by 17 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…However, we provided evidence that the strongest impact of domestic cats occurs at the functional structure level of mammal and bird assemblages (Lepczyk et al, 2003;Siracusa, 2010;Bonnington et al, 2013). Domestic cats are apex predators that show at least two reproductive peaks per year (Sogliani and Mori, 2019); thus, they may have few competitors (Castañeda et al, 2018;Sogliani and Mori, 2019) and may rapidly become the most abundant carnivorous species (Loss et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Given the full-blown denial of the negative impacts of cats, which is also supported by published position papers (Lynn et al, 2019), the behavior of cat owners might be difficult to change, even in a biodiversity hotspot such as the Mediterranean basin. Cat welfare, including the increased risk of disease contraction in free-roaming individuals (Frenkel et al, 1970;Slater, 2004) and predation by wild carnivores (Sogliani and Mori, 2019), should thus be considered as effective methods to encourage cat owners to keep domestic cats under controlled conditions (McDonald et al, 2015). Laws state that it is a misdemeanor offense to not provide cats with adequate food, shelter, and freedom from pain, preventing cruelty but also promoting responsible cat ownership.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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License to Kill? Domestic Cats Affect a Wide Range of Native Fauna in a Highly Biodiverse Mediterranean Country

Mori

Menchetti

Camporesi³

et al. 2019

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Amongst domestic animals, the domestic cat, Felis catus, is widely considered to be one of the most serious threats to wildlife conservation. This is particularly evident for island ecosystems, as data for mainland countries are often lacking. In Italy, the European country that is richest in biodiversity, cats are very popular pets. In this work, we aimed at assessing the potential spectrum of wild vertebrates that may be killed by free-ranging domestic cats, and we considered our results within the context of their conservation status and IUCN threat category. We collected data on the impact of cats both through a citizen science approach (wildlife predations by 145 cats belonging to 125 owners) and by following 21 of these 145 cats for 1 year and recording all of the prey they brought home. Domestic cats may kill at least 207 species (2042 predation events) in Italy; among those, 34 are listed as "Threatened" or "Near Threatened" by the IUCN and Italian Red Lists. Birds and mammals such as passerines and rodents were reported to be the groups most commonly killed by free-ranging cats. When considering this diet in functional trait space, we observed that the class occupying the largest functional space was that of birds, followed by mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Thus, the largest impact was on the functional structure of mammal and bird communities. The use of a collar bell did not affect the predation rate of cats, and the number of prey items brought home decreased with increasing distance from the countryside. We provided strong evidence that free-ranging domestic cats may seriously affect the conservation of threatened and non-threatened wildlife species, which are already suffering from population declines due to other causes, e.g., habitat loss. The mitigation of the impacts of domestic cats on wildlife requires dissemination projects promoting responsible cat ownership, as well as a restriction of free-ranging behavior, particularly at nighttime.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

License to Kill? Domestic Cats Affect a Wide Range of Native Fauna in a Highly Biodiverse Mediterranean Country

Mori

Menchetti

Camporesi³

et al. 2019

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…A high spatiotemporal overlap was observed between the brown hare and the red fox. In Central Italy, the red fox is mostly a fruit-consumer [ 60 , 71 , 72 ], although in some areas hares may play an important role in its diet, particularly where other food items are scarce [ 60 , 73 ]. Furthermore, foxes are perceived by brown hare as a threat, whatever the predation rate on this species [ 47 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data on the local population densities of these species are not available. Previous data on the local diet of the red fox confirmed that the brown hare is a potential prey of this canid [ 60 ]. Similarly, several brown hares have been killed locally by domestic carnivores, whereas this lagomorph was not detected in the local diet of the wildcat Felis silvestris [ 61 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Spatiotemporal Overlap between the European Brown Hare and Its Potential Predators and Competitors

Viviano

Mori

Fattorini

et al. 2021

Animals

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Analysis of spatiotemporal partitioning is pivotal to shed light on interspecific coexistence. Most research effort has involved large-sized carnivores and their prey, whereas little attention has been devoted to lagomorphs. We assessed spatiotemporal overlap among the European brown hare Lepus europaeus and its potential competitors and predators through camera-trapping in an area in Central Italy. We estimated the interspecific patterns of the spatiotemporal activity rhythms of brown hares, its potential predators (the red fox Vulpes vulpes, the pine marten Martes martes, the domestic cat Felis catus, and the domestic dog Canis familiaris), and a competitor, the roe deer Capreolus capreolus. Brown hare activity was studied in natural conditions as well as in a fenced area that excluded terrestrial predators and competitors. Free-ranging hares developed a more nocturnal behavior to avoid diurnal predators (i.e., domestic carnivores and martens). Although high temporal overlap was observed between free-ranging brown hares and both red foxes (82%) and roe deer (81%), hares avoided fox by being more active on darkest nights, as well as avoided roe deer through spatial partitioning. We suggest that hares may adapt their spatiotemporal behavior to avoid potential predators and competitors.

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“…sarcoptic mange), limiting the number of foxes 24 , 25 . The occurrence of the red fox in urban areas, may result in predation on pets and digging burrows 16 , 26 – 29 , which is annoying and frequently reported by city inhabitants 30 , 31 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonization of Warsaw by the red fox Vulpes vulpes in the years 1976–2019

Jackowiak

Gryz

Jasińska

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The red fox is one of the most adaptable carnivores inhabiting cities. The aim of our study was to describe the process of Warsaw colonization by the red fox. We focused on: (1) the fox distribution in Warsaw on the basis of presence-absence data (2005–2012) over a grid of 1 × 1 km2, (2) the process of settlement in 29 green areas (study periods 1976–1978, 2004–2012, and 2016–2019) in relation to habitat type, and (3) temporal and spatial patterns of the red fox incidents (1998–2015) reported by Warsaw citizens. We found out that: (1) the red fox penetrated the whole city (i.e. its presence was confirmed in all squares of the grid), (2) 21% of the green areas were colonized in 1976–1978 but 93% in 2016–2019. Forests and riparian habitats were occupied more frequently than parks and cemeteries in 1976–1978 with no difference in the further years; (3) the probability of the fox incidents increased over years, was higher in June-October, on working days, and around noon, and with the share of discontinuous urban fabric in the buffers around incident locations. Nevertheless, the incidents only partially reflect population abundance trends and activity patterns of the species, so should be treated cautiously.

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“The Fox and the Cat”: Sometimes they do not agree

Cited by 17 publications

References 40 publications

License to Kill? Domestic Cats Affect a Wide Range of Native Fauna in a Highly Biodiverse Mediterranean Country

License to Kill? Domestic Cats Affect a Wide Range of Native Fauna in a Highly Biodiverse Mediterranean Country

Spatiotemporal Overlap between the European Brown Hare and Its Potential Predators and Competitors

Colonization of Warsaw by the red fox Vulpes vulpes in the years 1976–2019

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