Cape Town's domestic cats : prey and movement patterns in deep-urban and urban-edge areas

Abstract

Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-85).Domestic and feral cats (Felis catus) have impacted negatively on native wildlife on both islands and on the mainland. Impacts range from a reduction in numbers of prey species to local extinctions, especially of birds on islands. This study provides the first data on the impacts of domestic cats on wildlife on the African mainland continent by comparing the diet and movement patterns of cats that live within urban areas with those of cats that live on the urban?edge adjacent to natural areas of Cape Town, South Africa. The findings suggest that domestic cats in urban areas of Cape Town pose a significant threat to wildlife, with indigenous small mammals most at risk. This agrees with many other studies carried out in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom