Using cat containment to protect wildlife (and cats) in the ACT

1. Using cat containment to protect wildlife (and cats) in the ACT Kathy Eyles and Michael Mulvaney

2. Origins of research • Collaborative project to inform cat policy and management in ACT • Invasive Animals CRC funding to conduct community survey about cat ownership and attitudes to cat management • Steering Committee - ACT Government (TAMS, ESDD, EDD), Invasive Animals CRC, RSPCA and ANU Fenner School • Reported in 2016

3. Estimates of cats in the ACT • Domestic = 56,000 • Owned & roaming all times = 14,000 • Owned & roaming daylight = 21,000 • Stray = 6,000 -25,000 • Feral = 0.2 per sq. km (Namadgi), 90 per sq. km (Mugga Tip) • Over 10 years a single cat can have 150 offspring And on the fifth day the Lord said ,” let there be cats,” And there were cats

4. Cats - tracking and movement studies • Incursions 80m to 1000m into reserves • Longest incursions where part of cat’s home range • Urban buffers (containment) of 500m to 1000m to prevent incursions • Mean home range 2ha, median 1ha (in Adelaide) “I’m being tracked by satellite!”

5. 4555 homes <900m from Red Hill 850 household cats can roam on Red Hill each day or night

6. Cats – Hunting and prey studies ACT • 67 species prey (Barrett 1997) • Mice and rat intake high (60%) but seasonal spikes in hunting of small native birds, juvenile birds and reptiles. • Estimate of 10,000 + rosellas killed by cats in Canberra a year I’m totally bipartisan. I eat as many Birds as I do mice

7. Cats – Hunting and prey studies ACT • Reptiles, most predated species within 50m of grasslands and made up 23% of prey within 50m woodland • Predation of native birds, increased closer to woodland habitats Most of all I love your vulnerability

8. Cats – Hunting and prey studies • ‘Super-predators’ active hunters With preference for prey • Moths & bats (NZ) • Reptiles (NZ & ACT) • Impact on local species abundance My friends warned me you were different

9. Cats – Hunting and prey studies “ ..some felines were such determined killers they would hunt their prey of choice until they had vanished from the area … and unless the specialists are controlled, ..” the survival chances of rare and endangered animals was unlikely to improve”. Professor Chris DickmanCats will dine until their delicacy is rare: University of Sydney research SMH October 20, 2014

10. Prey and tracking studies – implications • Ground dwelling and foraging wildlife are vulnerable - small size & seasonal abundance • Small woodland birds, reptiles & invertebrates in urban edge habitat

11. Community Survey – scope and sample • Ownership & care • Nuisance & strays • Attitudes to range of control measures • 1277 ACT residents surveyed inc. • cat owners (n=506) • Forde and Bonner F/B residents (n=192) “I’m sorry Edward, I suddenly realized I’m not a cat person

12. Community survey – benefits of containment • 91% of ACT residents, 74% of cat owners. 96% of Bonner and Forde residents see benefits to the community if cats contained. • 3 main benefits identified • lower risk to wildlife (ACT 80%, F/B 99%) • less nuisance (defecation, pet attacks, noise at night and fighting); and • less injury and vet bills. The first eight times it was curiosity. The last time I was run over.

13. Synthesis of evidence and options • Need alignment between cat containment and wildlife conservation objectives • Need 24 hour containment as ACT’s threatened fauna esp, reptiles, birds and insects are day active • Need an integrated package (regulations education, stray cat control) if serious about welfare, nuisance and predation “Of course it is not a real bird. If it was real we could eat it.”