Research is underway at Murdoch University to help our beloved feline friends coexist with native wildlife in the suburbs.
Life with a domestic cat often means waking up to yet another dead bird or entrails in the garden. Hunting is natural cat behavior and most owners feel unable to control it even though they worry about the consequences.
Director of the study Dr Fiona Scarff said they were delighted to be testing a simple solution to a worldwide problem.
“Many Australian households have cats, and these animals are well-loved members of their family,” Dr Scarff said.
It’s no secret that cats prey on birds, lizards and small mammals. These suburban creatures are already under threat from the erosion of their green space.
With this in mind, Dr Scarff of the Veterinary & Life Sciences faculty at Murdoch are testing an effective solution for cat owners and prey alike. It’s called the cat bib and it consists of a soft fabric flap which attaches to the collar.
Cats wearing the bib are still able to run, jump, climb, groom, feed and snooze as normal. To effectively drive down the capture of urban wildlife, any solution needs to work for free-ranging cats which the bib does. The research team believe that the bib provides a big block of colour that alerts prey animals and physically interferes with the cat’s pounce.
“The bibs have already been shown to be highly effective in reducing bird captures, and also provide a level of protection to other prey animals,” said Dr Scarff.
“We are now testing new bib designs and need the help of pet owners to trial the prototypes.”
The research unit has been involved in studies of cats and their foraging behaviour for over three decades. They have explored topics such as what cats eat, how far they roam and their impact on wildlife.
The search is now on to find cat owners in the Fremantle, East Fremantle, Melville or Cockburn council areas to take part in the study in October and November this year.
If you know someone who might be interested, ask them to sign up at catbibstudy@gmail.com.
For more information, visit https://catbibstudy.wixsite.com/research