| dc.description.abstract | 1.The domestic cat shares a longstanding history with humans. Depending on the ecological and cultural contexts in which it lives, it can be classified as an invasive species, feral animal, pest-controller and companion animal. Cat behavioural plasticity and adaptability to all ecosystems is mainly related to the retention of hunting behaviour, the management of which is a source of social controversies. Pet owners are often opposed to common hunting management strategies, due to safety concerns or limits imposed upon what they perceive as natural feline behaviours. Conversely, wildlife conservationists often advocate cat confinement as cats pose a threat to wild animal populations. A better understanding of cat hunting behaviour and novel management strategies that recognise both views are required for ameliorating these conflicts. 2. The retention of hunting behaviour by cats is an underexplored issue. Through a literature review, I identified drivers and facilitators of hunting behaviour, and the available measures to reduce impact of cats on wild fauna through population-level and individual-level strategies. Hunting is driven by evolutionary constraints mainly related to an obligate carnivorous diet. Lethal approaches are considered indispensable for cat eradications from islands and large-scale population control. Enrichment has the potential to be a successful approach for reducing hunting in pet cats. 3. Confinement and collar-mounted devices reduce prey killed by domestic cats, but owner uptake of those is low. With a before-after-control-impact design trial, I found that, alongside conventional approaches, the novel enrichment measures of provision of high-meat content, grain-free food and introduction of daily object play reduced numbers of prey items brought home by 36%, and 25% respectively. Such approaches reduce hunting motivation, rather than impeding hunting, and are likely to find more support among cat owners concerned about welfare implications of other interventions. 4. The number of prey items brought home represents only a proportion of the total prey killed by cats, but other prey is eaten. I used Bayesian stable isotope mixing models (BSIMMs) to estimate contributions of wild and provisioned foods to diets of cats, analysing whiskers of cats that depredate wild animals. I also determined whether common deterrents and novel interventions affect the relative importance of wild prey in cats’ diet. Wild prey was discernible from provisioned pet foods, indicating that cat diets consisted primarily of provisioned foods and wild animals contribute a low proportion. Fitting cats with a BirdsBeSafe collar cover further reduces consumption of wild prey. I concluded that hunting wild prey is likely to address some micronutrients requirements, or behavioural motivations. 5. Cat owners express safety concerns regarding their cats’ roaming behaviour. Cats are also a threat to wild fauna when roaming outside. I investigated the spatial ecology of cats that were both free to roam and partially confined by owners, and whether intervention measures for reducing predation also affect cat spatial behaviour. Cat home range size and roaming behaviour are affected by outdoor access. Cats fitted with a bell, provided with high-meat content food and subjected to object play increased time cats were located at home (Bell +29%; Food +20%; Play +24%). The most effective approach for reducing roaming remains confinement, whether partial or permanent. 6. Cat personality has been hypothesised to affect between-individual variation in hunting behaviour. I tested whether variation in the ‘Feline Five’ personality factors (scored by owners) allowed discrimination between cats that bring home prey and those that do not, and whether variation in number of prey returned is related to personality scores. Cats returning home prey were perceived by owners to be high in ‘extraversion’ or low in ‘neuroticism’. Variation in number of prey returned was not affected by any of the personality factors. Assessing behavioural needs through characterisation of individual personality has the potential to enhance approaches for managing hunting by cats. 7. Domestic cats have retained hunting behaviour, which may satisfy behavioural motivational needs and/or nutritional requirements. The novel strategies proposed for reducing hunting in pet cats broaden the approaches owners can adopt while accommodating their diverse perspectives on cat husbandry. A better understanding of the analytical components making the food successful in reducing hunting motivation is advised, particularly for improving environmental sustainability of pet food. Hunting management can be enhanced by designing solutions that consider both the wild and the domestic sides of cats, leading to successful results for conservation. | en_GB |
