According to a study, free-roaming cats have a very wide range of prey and endanger biodiversity in many places. The analysis of fecal samples, for example, shows that domestic cats are indiscriminate predators that essentially eat any type of animal that they can capture at any stage of life, explains the research team in the journal “Nature Communications”. Free-roaming cats are among the most problematic invasive species in the world.
The group led by Christopher Lepczyk from Auburn University (USA) included more than 500 studies in a meta-analysis. In total, over 2,000 species of prey worldwide are recorded. There are only a few analyzes from Africa and parts of Eurasia and South America. In addition, invertebrates are underrepresented because they can only be detected to a limited extent in fecal samples. The actual number of species is probably significantly higher.
According to the researchers, the high proportion of endangered species is worrying. Cats are already associated with the extinction of numerous species of birds, mammals and reptiles. 347 (17 percent) of the species recorded for the current study are listed on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
Spread worldwide
Cats live on every continent except Antarctica and have been introduced to hundreds of islands, making them one of the most widespread animal species on earth. And it’s not just their diet that cats threaten biodiversity: they transmit diseases to wild animals, and they also influence and displace countless species, as Lepczyk’s team explains. More measures and initiatives to reduce the impact of wild cats are urgently needed.
According to estimates, there are currently more than 15 million domestic cats living in Germany alone, which, according to the Nature Conservation Association (Nabu), kill tens of millions of birds every year. It is estimated that there are hundreds of millions of domestic cats worldwide.
