Pet cat personality linked to owner‐reported predation frequency. Issue 1 (24th January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cordonnier, Marion; Perrot, Amira; Ferry, Nicolas; Bonnaud, Elsa; Baudry, Emmanuelle
• Is Part Of: Ecology and evolution. Volume 13:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2023-01-24
• Subjects: depredation -- domestic cats -- personality traits -- urbanization; Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577.05
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9651
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2045-7758

Abstract

Abstract: The domestic cat, Felis catus, is one of the most popular and widespread domestic animals. Because domestic cats can reach high population densities and retain at least some tendency to hunt, their overall impact on wildlife can be severe. Domestic cats have highly variable predation rates depending on the availability of prey in their environment, their owners' practices, and individual cat characteristics. Among these characteristics, cat personality has recently been hypothesized to be an important factor contributing to variations in the hunting activity of cats. In this study, we surveyed 2508 cat owners living in France about their cats' personalities, using the Feline Five personality framework, and the frequency with which cats bring home prey. Personality traits were analyzed using factor analysis and related to predation frequency using cumulative logit models. For both birds and small mammals, cats with high levels of extraversion or low levels of neuroticism had significantly higher frequencies of prey return. Owners whose cats had low levels of agreeableness or high levels of dominance reported a significantly lower frequency of bird return. Personality differences therefore seem to contribute to the high variability in predation rates among domestic cats. We also found that the owner‐reported prey return frequencies were significantly higher for cats spending more time outdoors, for non‐pedigree cats, and for owners living in rural or suburban areas as opposed to urban areas. By contrast, we did not detect an effect of cat sex or age on their reported prey return rates. Abstract : Because domestic cats can reach high population densities and generally retain at least some tendency to hunt, their overall impact on wildlife can be severe, leading to increasing international interest and concern. Domestic cats have highly variable predation rates, depending in part on individual cat characteristics, but the reasons for this high level of variation are poorly understood. In our study, we used surveys of more than 2500 cat owners living in France to show that personality differences contribute strongly to the large variability in predation rates among domestic cats.