Survival, Fecundity, and Movements of Free‐Roaming Cats

Abstract

Abstract: Free ‐roaming cats (e.g., owned, semi‐feral, and feral) impact wildlife worldwide through predation, competition, and disease transmission. Baseline ecological information necessary for population management is lacking. We radiocollared free‐roaming cats (feral, n = 30; semi‐feral, n = 14; owned, n = 10) in Caldwell, Texas, USA between October 2004 and November 2005 and compared population demographics among sex and ownership classification. We found ranges and movements declined across ownership classes whereas survival and fecundity increased. Our findings suggest that human interactions (e.g., feeding) may result in high, localized free‐roaming cat densities, which may concentrate feral cat impacts and should be considered when evaluating population control strategies.