Ability to Respond Total:12 / 25Ability to Respond = ( Ease of Response + Tools in Place )
Confidence:High
Confidence Notes:
Impact
Spread
Notes
Score
Spread Rate
Cats are super-abundant, outdoor cats reached densities of about 114 cats per square mile.
5
Spread Amount
Feral populations, depending on habitat and food source, can build up and spread rapidly. American Bird Conservancy estimates around 66 million pet cats and 40-60 million unowned, free-roaming cats in the U.S.
5
Damage
Notes
Score
Ecological
Severe damage and extirpation of native and, sometimes rare, bird populations. Cats kill many birds. Fledglings, birds roosting at night and parents or young on a nest are particularly at risk. As are the many species of ground-nesting birds.
5
Agricultural
0
Infrastructure
0
Cultural
0
Health
Cats can carry feline leukemia or feline immunodeficiency virus, and transmit toxoplasmosis, sarcosporidiosis, and possibly rabies, to native animals, domestic livestock and humans. In California, 1979, a veterinarian caught bubonic plague from a cat.
3
Benefit
Notes
Score
Ecological
0
Agricultural
Good barnyard mousers, in country. May reduce some rodent damage to field crops or foodstuffs.
1
Infrastructure
0
Cultural
Domestic cats are highly regarded. Many municipalities have feral animal support groups, which try support feral cats and dogs humanely.
1
Health
0
Total
16
Ability to Respond
Ease of Response
Notes
Score
Detection
Relatively easy to detect, visually and trapping.
4
Control
Intensive trapping requires repeated effort.
2
Tools in Place
Notes
Score
Entry
1
Control
Almost impossible to trap all feral cats within a given area at once. TTVAR (for Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Alter, and Release) is effective. Trapping a removal if populations build up over a non-sustainable threshold.
3
Outreach
Most humane societies do not discourage feeding of feral cats. Spay
