Exeter University study finds cats less likely to hunt wildlife with more play and meaty food
Pet cats hunt less wildlife if owners play with them daily and feed them meat-rich food, a study carried out by the University of Exeter has found.
Feeding a premium cat food where proteins come from meat reduced the number of animals cats brought home by a third.
And with five to ten minutes of daily play with a toy mouse or feather on a string, it cut the killing by a quarter.
"Previous research in this area has focussed on inhibiting cats' ability to hunt, either by keeping them indoors or fitting them with collars, devices and deterrents," said Professor Robbie McDonald, of Exeter's Environment and Sustainability Institute.
"While keeping cats indoors is the only sure-fire way to prevent hunting, some owners are worried about the welfare implications of restricting their cat’s outdoor access.
"Our study shows that – using entirely non-invasive, non-restrictive methods – owners can change what the cats themselves want to do.
"By playing with cats and changing their diets, owners can reduce their impact on wildlife without restricting their freedom."
It is not clear what elements of the meaty food led to the reduction in hunting.
Cat bells on collars made no difference to the amount of animals killed – although the researchers say the impact on individual cats varied widely, suggesting some cats learn to hunt successfully despite wearing a bell.
Lisa George, from Helston in Cornwall, who looks after three-year-old tabby cat Minnie, took part in the trial.
Lisa said: "Minnie loves to hunt. More often than not, she will bring her prey home and let it go in the house. We’ve had birds in the bedroom, rats in the waste paper bin (which took us three days to catch), rabbits in the utility room.
"On changing Minnie’s food (previously supermarket own-brand), I found she hardly hunted at all. This continued the whole time she was on this food. I can honestly say I couldn’t believe the difference as regards to her hunting behaviour."
George Bradley, from SongBird Survival, a charity that funded the research, said: “The study shows that cat owners – like me – can take a few easy steps to really improve the health and happiness of our pets as well as make a really big difference for all our wildlife.”
You can read the full report here.
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