A team of scientists from the University of Exeter has surveyed 56 cat owners, some from rural parts of the UK (mostly in south-west England) and some from urban areas (Bristol and Manchester), and found they ranged from ‘conscientious caretakers’ concerned about cats’ impact on wildlife and who feel some responsibility to ‘freedom defenders’ who opposed restrictions on cat behavior altogether; ‘concerned protectors’ focused on cat safety, ‘tolerant guardians’ disliked their cats hunting but tended to accept it, and ‘laissez-faire landlords’ were largely unaware of any issues around cats roaming and hunting.
Crowley et al conducted a Q-methodological study to investigate the views of domestic cat owners in the UK on the roaming and hunting behaviors of their pets; they identified five distinctive cat-owner perspectives: (1) Concerned Protectors focus on cat safety, (2) Freedom Defenders prioritize cat independence and oppose restrictions on behavior, (3) Tolerant Guardians believe outdoor access is important for cats but dislike their hunting, (4) Conscientious Caretakers feel some responsibility for managing their cats’ hunting, and (5) Laissez-faire Landlords were largely unaware of the issues surrounding roaming and hunting behavior. These photos show the Q-sorting procedure, with assistance from several cats: (a) participants read each of the 62 statements and place each statement card into one of three piles (‘agree,’ ‘disagree,’ and ‘neutral’); (b) participants then arrange the statement cards in relation to a constrained distribution from ‘most agree,’ through ‘neutral,’ to ‘most disagree;’ (c) a completed Q-sort, with cards turned over to show unique statement numbers on the reverse side; the alphanumeric code C03 in the lower-left corner (written over the photograph) is a participant ID code. Image credit: Crowley et al, doi: 10.1002/fee.2254.
Conservation organizations have long been concerned about the numbers of animals caught by the UK’s large population of domestic cats. Most pet cats kill very few wild animals, if any, but with a population of around 10 million cats, the numbers of birds, small mammals and reptiles taken can accumulate.
Apart from their role as ‘mousers,’ most owners find the dead animals brought home an unpleasant reminder of their pet’s wilder side. Addressing this problem has been difficult because of disagreements between people prioritizing cat welfare and those focusing on wildlife conservation.
“Although we found a range of views, most UK cat owners valued outdoor access for their cats and opposed the idea of keeping them inside to prevent hunting,” said study lead author Dr. Sarah Crowley, a researcher in the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter.
“Cat confinement policies are therefore unlikely to find support among owners in the UK.”
“However, only one of the owner types viewed hunting as a positive, suggesting the rest might be interested in reducing it by some means.”
“To be most effective, efforts to reduce hunting must be compatible with owners’ diverse circumstances.”
Suggested measures to reduce hunting success include fitting cats with brightly colored ‘BirdsBeSafe’ collar covers. Many owners also fit their cats with bells.
Summary of factors (perspectives) identified from the analysis. Each of the five factors is illustrated with three associated statements, or ‘sentiments’ (composites of similar statements), which relate to each group’s key views on (a) roaming and outdoor access, (b) hunting behavior, and (c) cat management. The statements and sentiments chosen statistically distinguish that factor from at least one other factor, were ranked highest/lowest by that factor as compared with other factors, or both. Image credit: S. Ross / S. Hanafin / Rosino / Crowley et al, doi: 10.1002/fee.2254.
Dr. Crowley and colleagues are now examining the effectiveness of these and other new measures and how owners feel about them, with a view to offering different solutions.
“This latest research we have funded reveals the incredibly diverse perspectives amongst cat owners in regard to their pets’ hunting behavior,” said Tom Streeter, Chairman of SongBird Survival.
“If nature is to ‘win’ and endangered species thrive, a pragmatic approach is needed whereby cat owners’ views are considered as part of wider conservation strategies.”
“The study highlights the urgent need for cat owners and conservationists to work together to find tailored solutions that are cheap, easy to implement, and have a positive effect on wildlife and bird populations across the UK.”
“The finding that many UK cat owners actually care a great deal about wildlife conservation and their cats’ impact on it, suggests that some owners are receptive to employing cat-friendly ways of reducing hunting,” said Dr. Sarah Ellis, iCatCare’s Head of Cat Advocacy.
“The right interventions could improve wildlife conservation efforts, maintain good cat mental-wellbeing, and at the same time improve the cat-human relationship.”
“This would be especially true for ‘tolerant guardians’ and ‘conscientious caretakers,’ by reducing the internal conflict of loving an animal that often hunts other animals they also care about.”
The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
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Sarah L. Crowley et al. Diverse perspectives of cat owners indicate barriers to and opportunities for managing cat predation of wildlife. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, published online September 3, 2020; doi: 10.1002/fee.2254
