Ecology of free-living cats in peri-urban habitats : population demographics, social organisation, space use and competition

Abstract

Feral cats (Felis catus) are considered one of the biggest threats to Australian wildlife and have contributed to the extinction of at least 25 small native mammals. In light of this the Australian Government has set a goal to cull 2 million feral cats by 2020. Feral cats can reach high densities in human-modified, urban areas in many parts of the world, in part due to resource provisioning by humans. Despite their high densities and potential impacts on native fauna, little is known of the ecology of free-living cats in highly modified areas in Australia. Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are also a significant pest in Australia and are frequently subject to control. There is evidence that feral cat populations and predation rates on small prey species increase when foxes are removed from local areas. Due to increases in peri-urban and urban fox populations, fox baiting programs are now being conducted in these modified environments in Australia. The effects of reduced fox numbers on cat populations in periurban and urban environments are currently unknown. This thesis investigates the ecology of free-living cats in modified environments in Australia. I examine the demographics, social organisation, home range, space use and competitive interactions of free-living cats in peri-urban habitats in Western Sydney, New South Wales. This study took place on the Hawkesbury campus of Western Sydney University in Richmond, New South Wales from May 2013 to September 2015.

Date of Award	2017
Original language	English