Cats' Carnivorous Cravings: A Menace to 2,000 Species

A study published in Nature Communications reveals that domestic cats are highly effective killers, consuming over 2,000 species globally, including hundreds that are of conservation concern. Birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, and amphibians are all on their menu, with 17% of the species being of conservation concern. Cats have had a particularly damaging impact on islands, where they have eaten three times the number of species at risk compared to continents. In Australia alone, cats are estimated to kill over 300 million animals annually. The study highlights the need for measures to mitigate the negative impacts of cats on native wildlife, such as keeping them indoors and implementing feline lockdowns in certain areas.