Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre Review of cat ecology and management strategies in Australia Review of cat ecology and management strategies in Australia Dr Elizabeth A Denny and Professor Christopher R Dickman Dr Elizabeth A Denny and Professor Christopher R Dickman www.invasiveanimals.com Review of cat ecology and management strategies in Australia A report for the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre Dedicated to Emma Georgina Denny Dr Elizabeth A Denny and Professor Christopher R Dickman Institute of Wildlife Research School of Biological Sciences University of Sydney February 2010 i Review of cat ecology and management strategies in Australia Report prepared for the Invasive Animals CRC Uptake Program, project 6.U.1: Feral cat bait uptake in eastern Australia. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report reflect those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre. The material presented in this report is based on sources that are believed to be reliable. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of the report, the author gives no warranty that the said sources are correct and accepts no responsibility for any resultant errors contained herein, any damages or loss whatsoever caused or suffered by any individual or corporation. Published by: Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre. Postal address: University of Canberra, ACT 2600. Office Location: University of Canberra, Kirinari Street, Bruce ACT 2617. Telephone: (02) 6201 2887 Facsimile: (02) 6201 2532 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.invasiveanimals.com ISBN: 978-0-9806716-6-7 © Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre 2010 This work is copyright. The Copyright Act 1968 permits fair dealing for study, research, information or educational purposes. Selected passages, tables or diagrams may be reproduced for such purposes provided acknowledgement of the source is included. Major extracts of the entire document may not be reproduced by any process. Cover images (top to bottom): Cat on rubbish (Mark Berkman); Feral cat (Mick Davis); Feral cat with bird (Keith Gillet, image courtesy of DECCW NSW); Stray cat (Curran Kelliher). Design and layout: Graphic Ark – www.graphicark.com.au ii This document should be cited as: Denny EA and Dickman CR (2010) Review of Cat Ecology and Management Strategies in Australia, Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, Canberra. Acknowledgements This review was commissioned by the Uptake of Products and Strategies Program of the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre for the purpose of bringing together information on cat management, including domestic, stray and feral varieties, across Australia. The review was undertaken by Dr Elizabeth Denny as part of a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Sydney, which was aided and supervised by Professor Christopher Dickman. The report is dedicated to Dr Denny’s late daughter, Emma Georgina Denny, for her encouragement and support of the review. Dr Steven Lapidge and Sascha Groeneweg provided assistance with editing, and Alex Bagnara is thanked for her assistance with publishing. Review of cat ecology and management strategies in Australia Contents Executive summary ........................................................................................................... 1 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 1.1 Worldwide distribution of the domestic cat .................................................. 4 1.2 Brief history of cats in Australia ................................................................. 4 1.3 Cats as pest control agents ....................................................................... 4 1.4 Cats as pests .......................................................................................... 5 1.5 Cat control programs ................................................................................ 6 1.6 Cat impacts on native fauna ...................................................................... 6 1.7 Cat status and management ...................................................................... 7 1.8 Cat abundance ......................................................................................... 7 1.9 Cat colonies ............................................................................................ 8 1.10 Formulating cat control programs ............................................................. 8 1.11 Scope of review ..................................................................................... 8 2. Legislative status of cats ............................................................................................... 9 2.1 Australian Capital Territory ........................................................................ 9 2.2 New South Wales ....................................................................................10 iii 2.3 Northern Territory ...................................................................................10 2.4 Queensland ............................................................................................10 2.5 South Australia .......................................................................................10 2.6 Tasmania ...............................................................................................11 2.7 Victoria ..................................................................................................11 2.8 Western Australia ....................................................................................11 Summary ....................................................................................................11 3. Population dynamics and morphometrics ...................................................................... 12 3.1 Density .................................................................................................12 3.2 Movement patterns .................................................................................14 3.3 Morphometrics .......................................................................................14 3.3.1 Weight ......................................................................................14 3.3.2 Body measurements ...................................................................16 3.4 Sex ratios ..............................................................................................17 3.5 Breeding periods .....................................................................................17 3.6 Litter size ..............................................................................................18 3.7 Kitten survival rate .................................................................................18 3.8 Reproductive potential .............................................................................19 3.9 Cat colonies and highly modified habitats ...................................................19 Summary ....................................................................................................20 Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre 4. Cat impacts on native fauna ........................................................................................ 21 4.1 Predation ...............................................................................................21 4.1.1 Characteristics of prey species ......................................................22 4.2 Disease .................................................................................................22 4.3 Competition ...........................................................................................23 4.4 Diet ......................................................................................................23 4.4.1 Mammals ...................................................................................23 4.4.2 Birds .........................................................................................24 4.4.3 Reptiles .....................................................................................24 4.4.4 Other species .............................................................................24 4.4.5 Scavenging ................................................................................25 4.5 Assessing vulnerability of native species to cat predation .............................25 4.6 Discussion .............................................................................................26 Summary ....................................................................................................26 5. Monitoring cat abundance ........................................................................................... 27 5.1 Track counts ..........................................................................................27 5.2 Tree scratches ........................................................................................27 5.3 Kills ......................................................................................................28 5.4 Spotlighting ...........................................................................................28 5.5 Faecal accumulation rates or scat counts ....................................................28 5.6 Remote photography ...............................................................................29 5.7 DNA analysis ..........................................................................................30