Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > WR > WR04057
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(7)

Numerical and functional response of feral cats (Felis catus) to variations in abundance of primary prey on Stewart Island (Rakiura), New Zealand

Grant A. Harper
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

Zoology Department, University Of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Wildlife Research 32(7) 597-604 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR04057
Submitted: 30 June 2004  Accepted: 24 August 2005   Published: 24 November 2005

Abstract

Few studies of populations of feral cats have simultaneously monitored the seasonal abundance of primary prey and the possible ‘prey-switch’ to alternative prey when primary prey abundance declines. On Stewart Island, when the abundance of feral cats’ primary prey, rats (Rattus spp.), was very low, significantly more cats died or left the study area than when rats were abundant. Cats preferentially preyed on rats regardless of rat abundance. Birds were the main alternative prey but cats did not prey-switch to birds when rat abundance was low, possibly owing to the difficulty of capture, and small mass, of birds compared with rats. On Stewart Island numbers of feral cats are restricted by seasonal depressions in abundance of their primary prey, coupled with limited alternative prey biomass.


Acknowledgments

The research was funded by Science and Research Division, Department of Conservation (Investigation No. 2501), the Miss E. L. Hellaby Indigenous Grassland Research Trust, and the Southland Conservancy, Department of Conservation. Thank you to my volunteers, Jo Joice, Pete Haverson, Simon Johnson, Kerry Borkin, Liz Meek, Glen Newton, Brent Sinclair, and the staff of Department of Conservation, Stewart Island, especially Phred Dobbins and Brent Beaven. Thanks also to staff of the Zoology Department, University of Otago. Kath Dickinson, Phil Seddon and Harald Steen provided supervisory support and, along with Mick Clout, Ian Jamieson, Denis Turner, Chris Jones and three anonymous referees, made comments on the text. Scott Davidson assisted with statistical analyses. This research was carried out under Otago University Animal Ethics Protocol No. 44/99.


References

Algar D. A., Burbridge A. A., and Angua G. J. (2002). Cat eradication on Hermite Island, Montbello Islands, Western Australia. In ‘Turning the Tide: The Eradication of Island Invasives’. (Eds C. R. Veitch and M. N. Clout.) (IUCN Species Specialist Group: Auckland.)

Apps, P. J. (1983). Aspects of the ecology of feral cats on Dassen Island, South Africa. South African Journal of Zoology 18, 393–399.
Bailey T. N. (1993). ‘The African Leopard. Ecology and Behavior of a Solitary Felid.’ (Columbia University Press: New York.)

Bester, M. N. , Bloomer, J. P. , Bartlett, P. A. , Muller, D. D. , van Rooyen, M. , and Buchner, H. (2000). Final eradication of feral cats from sub-Antarctic Marion Island, southern Indian Ocean. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 30, 53–57.
Bonner W. N. (1984). Introduced animals. In ‘Antarctic Ecology. Vol. 1’. (Ed. R. M. Laws.) (Academic Press: London.)

Brothers, N. P. , Skira, I. J. , and Copson, G. R. (1985). Biology of the feral cat, Felis catus (L.), on Macquarie Island. Australian Wildlife Research 12, 425–436.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Brunner H., and Coman B. J. (1974). ‘The Identification of Mammalian Hair.’ (Inkata Press: Melbourne.)

Childs, J. E. (1986). Size-dependent predation on rats (Rattus norvegicus) by house cats (Felis catus) in an urban setting. Journal of Mammology 67, 196–199.
Cowan P., Clark J., Heath D., Stankiewicz M., and Meers J. (2000). Predators, parasites, and diseases of possums. In ‘The Brushtail Possum. Biology, Impact and Management of an Introduced Marsupial’. (Ed. T. L. Montague.) (Manaaki Whenua Press: Lincoln, New Zealand.)

Cunningham D. M., and Moors P. J. (1996). ‘Guide to the Identification and Collection of New Zealand Rodents.’ 3rd edn. (Department of Conservation: Wellington.)

Day, M. G. (1966). Identification of hair and feather remains in the gut and faeces of stoats and weasels. Journal of Zoology 148, 201–217.
Fitzgerald B. M. (1988). Diet of domestic cats and their impact on prey populations. In ‘The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour’. (Eds D. C. Turner and P. Bateson.) pp. 123–147. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.)

Fitzgerald, B. M. , and Karl, B. J. (1979). Foods of feral house cats (Felis catus L.) in forest of the Orongorongo Valley, Wellington. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 6, 107–126.
Harper G. A. (2002). Habitat selection by feral cats Felis catus and rats Rattus spp and their effects on native birds. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Otago, New Zealand.

Hassell, M. P. , Lawton, J. H. , and Beddington, J. R. (1977). Sigmoid functional responses by invertebrate predators and parasitoids. Journal of Animal Ecology 46, 249–262.
Kruuk H. (1982). Interactions between Felidae and their prey species: a review. In ‘Cats of the World: Biology, Conservation and Management’. (Eds S. D. Miller and D. D. Everett.) (Texas A & M University: College Station, TX.)

Langham, N. P. E. (1990). The diet of feral cats (Felis catus L.) on Hawke’s Bay farmland, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 17, 243–255.
Liberg O., Sandell M., Pontier D., and Natoli E. (2000). Density, spatial organisation and reproductive tactics in the domestic cat and other felids. In ‘The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour’. 2nd edn. (Eds D. C. Turner and P. Bateson.) pp. 119–147. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.)

MacDonald, M. L. , and Rogers, Q. R. (1984). Nutrition of the domestic cat, a mammalian carnivore. Annual Review of Nutrition 4, 521–562.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Moors P. J. (1990). Norway rat. In ‘The Handbook of New Zealand Mammals’. (Ed. C. M. King.) pp. 192–206. (Oxford University Press: Auckland.)

Moors P. J., and Atkinson I. A. E. (1984). Predation on seabirds by introduced animals, and factors influencing its severity. In ‘The Status and Conservation of the World’s Seabirds’. Technical Publication No. 2. (International Council for Bird Preservation: Cambridge, UK.)

Nelson, L. , and Clark, F. W. (1973). Correction for sprung traps in catch/effort calculations of trapping results. Journal of Mammology 54, 295–298.
Sokal R. R., and Rohlf F. J. (1995). ‘Biometry.’ (Freeman and Co.: New York.)

Solomon, M. E. (1949). The natural control of animal populations. Journal of Animal Ecology 18, 1–35.
Veitch C. R. (1985). Methods of eradicating feral cats from offshore islands in New Zealand. In ‘Conservation of Island Birds’. (Ed. P. J. Moors.) Technical Publication No. 3. (International Council for Bird Preservation: Cambridge, UK.)

Veitch, C. R. (2001). The eradication of feral cats (Felis catus) from Little Barrier Island, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 28, 1–12.
Wilson H. D. (1987). Vegetation of Stewart Island, New Zealand. Supplement to the New Zealand Journal of Botany. (Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: Wellington, New Zealand.)