Are cats harmless furballs or killing machines?
If you’ve ever owned an outdoor cat, you’ve probably seen its predatory instincts in action: While wandering around the yard, your cat suddenly leaps forward, attacking a small bird or mouse. , or even a lizard. The feline plays with this creature for several minutes, shaking it around long after it has stopped moving. Then he picks up his loot, trots to the front door and places a small carcass on the welcome mat.
For cat owners, this behavior is proof that their furballs are adorable, if misguided. But for many conservationists, it’s the act of an invasive killing machine with four bladed legs.
This difference in perception has sparked a heated debate between conservationists and cat lovers over whether cats should be allowed outside.
But why do domestic cats chase their prey and play with it even after killing it ? Are they adorable himbos or furry serial killers? The truth lies somewhere in between.
To answer this question, we need to look at the domestication of cats. The first wildcats to take a timid step toward domestication likely did so around 8,000 years ago in Egypt and surrounding regions, according to a 2017 study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.
These cats were members of the species Felis silvestris lybica, also known as African wildcats, and were lured to cities by the rats they hunted for food. Humans, on the other hand, kept these cats around because they controlled the spread of disease and the populations of grain-eating rodents. In some societies, such as ancient Egypt and China, these feline companions were considered lucky, even revered.
But while we’ve lived alongside our feline companions for thousands of years, the “true” domestication of cats dates back only about 200 years” Martina Cecchetti, a conservation scientist who studies cat behavior at the University of Exeter, UK, told Live Science.
In this context, Cecchetti clarified, “real” domestication means being selectively and intentionally bred by humans, as opposed to simply cohabiting with our species.
Due to their recent domestication, cats retain many instincts passed down from their wild ancestors, who hunted small prey throughout the day, according to a 2006 study published in The Journal of Nutrition. This remnant of evolution pushes the cat “to hunt prey even if it is not hungry”explains Ms. Cecchetti.
Additionally, the cat’s play instincts, such as kicking, pouncing, and raking with the claws, are derived from hunting behavior. Feral cats often play with their prey in order to tire it out before eating it, reducing the risk of injury.
Thanks to these instincts, even modern breeds of domestic cats can survive relatively easily in the wild – some Polish populations have been so successful that they are now considered invasive pests, reported WBUR, the national public radio station of Poland. Boston.
Studies show that house cats left loose outdoors can cause serious environmental disturbances. A 2013 study published in the journal Nature Communications estimates that cats kill more than 1.3 billion birds and 6.3 billion small mammals each year in the United States alonewith the majority of acts of violence being perpetrated by the country’s 30 million to 80 million unowned cats, which include farm cats, feral cats and human-fed strays, the researchers write in their study.
So how do people stop their furry friends from causing so much ecological damage? Cecchetti’s research suggests that pet cats’ urge to hunt can be partially curbed by providing them with ample playtime at home and feeding them a high-quality, meat-rich diet. and having a good balance of micronutrients.
” Domestic cats are obligate carnivores“said Mr. Cecchetti. If they don’t eat enough meat at home, they may seek it elsewhere.
If you decide to provide food to feral cats, the Humane Society recommends using a capture, neuter, and reintroduction program. These programs temporarily capture feral cats, sterilize them, vaccinate them against rabies, identify them using an ear tip (removal of the upper quarter inch of the left ear under anesthesia) and return them to the area where they were found if local shelters cannot accommodate them. This process helps control the population of ownerless cats, which, in turn, can reduce the number of wild creatures they kill.
But perhaps the best way to ensure your feline friend doesn’t go wild on the local ecosystem is to keep it indoors (with plenty of toys and at least 1.8 square meters of space) or to take him out on a leash. This way, he can give free rein to his hunting instincts, without sacrificing the wildlife in the vicinity.
