Favourite feline foods
CAT LOVERS might never be able to view their pets in the same light following a survey of the eating habits of domestic cats in an English village. The scientists who carried out the study pointed out that most other studies of the effects of cats have focused on feral cats (for example, the impact of feral cats on New Zealand birds has been devastating). Few had investigated the impact of domestic cats. In the unusual study, cat owners were asked to collect the remains of prey that their moggies brought home. Plastic bags contain-
ing the specimens were collected weekly over a one-year period and the contents analysed. The results: In the UK at least, domestic cats — no matter how well they are fed — may _be the major killer of small birds and mammals in urban and suburban environments. The scientists estimated that domestic cats kill at least 20 million birds a year in Britain. The figure could be a lot higher as an American study has showed that cats bring home only about half their catch.
Source: Natural History
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/FORBI19901101.2.9.5
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Forest and Bird, Volume 21, Issue 4, 1 November 1990, Page 6
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184Favourite feline foods Forest and Bird, Volume 21, Issue 4, 1 November 1990, Page 6
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