Weak Effects of Owned Outdoor Cat Density on Urban Bird Richness and Abundance

Domestic cats (Felis catus) are ubiquitous predators of birds in urban areas. In addition to the lethal effect of predation, there can also be sublethal, negative effects of domestic cats on individual birds. These effects have led to the inference that reducing outdoor cat densities would benefit urban bird communities. Here we estimate the likely result of policies/programs designed to reduce densities of owned outdoor cats in urban areas, estimating relationships between bird richness/abundance and cat densities across 58 landscapes in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We estimate that we would most likely observe one additional bird species, and 0.003 additional individuals per species, if policies/programs reduced owned outdoor cat densities to zero in an average landscape in Ottawa (with 130.2 cats/km(2)). However, these effects of cat density on birds were uncertain, with 95% confidence intervals crossing zero. Our findings-in combination with those of previous studies-suggest a need for research to resolve the apparent disconnect between the strong, negative effects of cats on individual urban birds and the weak, uncertain effects of cats on bird populations. Although measures that reduce owned outdoor cat densities are justified based on the precautionary principle, evidence to date does not support prioritizing these measures over those addressing threats that have consistently strong effects on bird populations.

Automated summary

Domestic cats are common predators of birds in urban areas, with both lethal and sublethal effects on individual birds. Reducing outdoor cat densities may benefit urban bird communities, but the specific impact is uncertain and further research is needed to address the disconnect between the negative effects of cats on individual birds and their effects on bird populations.