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Cats in Australia

(Redirected from Feral cats in Australia)

Cats (Felis catus), initially introduced into Australia with the First Fleet in 1788, now number more than 11 million distributed across more than 90% of the continent including every major island.[1]

A taxidermy feral cat with a pink cockatoo at the Central Australian Museum.

They are the second most popular pet by household (third most populous overall after dogs and fish). In 2023 there were 5.3 million kept as pets[2] of which approximately 95% are neutered.[3] In addition there are estimated to be up to 6 million feral cats found in almost every remote area across the country.[1]

Cats are considered by the CSIRO to be the most damaging invasive pest by cost[4] and fourth most damaging overall to the environment.[5] The Invasive Species Council has estimated that each year domestic and feral cats in Australia kill nearly 1.1 billion mammals, 399 million birds, 609 million reptiles, 93 million frogs, and nearly 1.1 billion invertebrates.[6] Cats are found to have significantly contributed to the extinction of at least 22 endemic Australian mammals since the arrival of Europeans.[7]

Feral cats are extremely difficult to control, are capable of bypassing control barriers and have adapted to harsh desert conditions by burrowing and obtaining sustenance by preying on moisture-rich small desert marsupials. Their economic burden have been more than A$18.7 billion annually since 1960, nine times that of rabbits.[4] Cats carry diseases, such as toxoplasmosis, which impacts humans and livestock at a cost of more than A$6 billion annually.[8] Australia remains rabies free and any cats that are imported into Australia must meet conditions set by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for biosecurity reasons.[9]

Historical context

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Several native species have evolved cat-like characteristics through a process of convergent evolution, including the marsupial quolls, known as a "native cat" which occupied a similar environmental niche to the introduced cat.[10] DNA studies have ruled out any introduction of the mammal Felis catus prior to the arrival of Europeans including Asian introductions or 17th century shipwrecks.[11]

Historical records date the introduction of cats to the First Fleet in 1788.[11] In 1824, Edward Henty brought cats to the Portland Bay district in what is now Victoria.[12] Based on accounts from local Aboriginal people, it is thought that cats were brought to the Swan River Colony (now Perth, Western Australia) from Britain during its 1829 foundation.[13] Most early Australian cats are believed to have been offspring of these introductions.[12] As a result, cats as household pets were rare until the 1830s when they began to grow in popularity, particularly due to their ability to control rodents in rapidly growing urban areas.[14]

The first feral cats were recorded in Sydney in 1824 and in Western Australia in the 1840s.[14]

1860s

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With a growing agricultural industry, in the 1860s cats were deliberately introduced into agricultural areas outside of the main settlements. In 1864 a mass release of cats in the Lachlan River in New South Wales was aimed at controlling a rat plague.[14] Similar introductions to control rodent plagues occurred in rural areas of Western Australia and Victoria in the 1860s, and the Warrego River in Queensland in 1874.[14] Cats were seen as particularly effective at controlling occurrences of the bush rat or dusky field rat in farming land.[14]

By the mid-1860s, cats were themselves at times considered a pest. At Barwon Park, Victoria in 1868, one of the first recorded cullings occurred, with over 100 feral cats found to be nesting in rabbit burrows.[14]

Promoted under government policy as a rabbit control, cats were first released in the 1880s in Victoria's Wimmera, as well as in outback South Australia.[14] While their ability to catch rabbits was often praised, rabbit trapping was considered a far more effective method and the releases simply aided the cat's spread across outback Australia.[14] Observers in far outback Queensland and New South Wales noted that cat populations had begun to grow in number during the 1880s.[14] The first recorded "plague" of wild cats occurred in Thargomindah in 1888 after which local farmers began to place a bounty on them.[14]

By 1890 cats had spread to their approximate current mainland distribution of over 90%.[15] Feral populations were growing in remote Western Australia and Victoria in the late 1890s.[14] Despite this, they continued to be released throughout remote areas of Australia in an effort to control rabbits.[14] For many decades the problem of feral cats was often overlooked as for many it was sight unseen, with cats most actively hunting at night.

20th century onward

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Domestic cat in Mt Morgan, Queensland 1925. Cats have been popular household pets since the 1830s.
Remotely photographed cat in the Mount Royal National Park, New South Wales.

In the early 1900s concern was expressed at the pervasiveness of the cat problem.[16]

The 1920s saw a change of opinion and some began to regard the introduction of cats for pest control as a failure and proclaimed them a pest. The Naturalist, writing for the Australian, was of this sentiment.[17] Professor Wood Jones attributed the threat of bird and marsupial life in the outback to the practice of dumping kittens in rabbit warrens in outback cattle runs.[18] British naturalist Dr Leach in 1923 wrote of a startling decline in Australian birdlife, particularly parrots and concluded that feral cats have "got to be reckoned with".[19] Feral cats were also, by this time, present on most islands.[20] The Royal Society of South Australia met to discuss the issue in 1927.[21] A war was declared on cats in 1929 were common in rabbit burrows, grew far larger than domestic cats, and began to be hunted for their skins.[22]

During the 1950s, Myxomatosis was introduced in an effort to control rabbits. This had the effect of cats searching for other sources of food.[23]

During the 1950s and 1960s the Sydney Harbour Bridge south eastern pylon was home to a family of world-famous white cats.[24]

In the 1970s the belief that pet owners were responsible for the feral cat problem became common. This was partly due to an increase in the prevalence of feral cats in urban areas, many believed to be strays.[25] It was also because the RSPCA placed the blame on those disposing of unwanted kittens in the bush and called for pet ownership restrictions.[26] Popular opinion was that most feral cats originated as unwanted or uncontrolled house cats.[27][28][29] Cats became a particularly bad problem for on King Island to pheasant populations where groups were lobbying authorities to introduce bounties.[30][31][32][33] Cats up to a metre long were shot in Western Australia.[34]

Prior to the late 1970s opinions as to whether the red fox or cat was the bigger pest tended toward the fox. However, in the late 1970s and early 1980s local extinctions of marsupials began to be attributed directly to feral cats.[35] Cats were the bigger pest, according to experts in the early 1980s, especially to endangered birdlife.[36][37][38] Cat eradication programs began to be called for on some islands such as Reevesby Island.[39][40]

A feral cat eradication organization was formed in 1991.[41]

Domesticated cats

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Many pet cat owners in Australia let their cats outside at night.[42]

In 2023, there were 5.3 million pet cats of which approximately 95% are neutered.[3] The 2023 national survey reports 2.2 million pet cats were securely contained full time indoors.[43][2]

Domesticated cats that are allowed to roam kill an estimated 110 native animals per cat each year; totalling up to about 80 million native birds, 67 million native mammals and 83 million native reptiles being killed by them annually.[42]

Almost 30% of Australian households keep at least one domesticated cat.[44][45] Domesticated cats must be microchipped in every state of Australia except Tasmania.[46] All pet cats past six months of age must be desexed in the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.[47]

Feral cats

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Ecological impacts

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A feral cat hunting a Pale-headed rosella near Brisbane.

Despite the indications of being pests, cats were intentionally released to the Australian wilderness in 1860s as a measure to tackle introduced rats and rabbits, and may have been effective especially on remote islands.[14][48][49] However, as they went feral and multiplied, they have been viewed as a major invasive species and an ecological disaster in the continent. Cats inhabit among variety of environments, and have been linked to the decline and extinctions of various native species most notably ground-nesting birds and small mammals.[50][51][52]

Feral cats, along with foxes are ranked as the highest threat to Australia's mammals and are among the top priority to tackle by the Australian Government. Damages by cats include stresses on over 200 nationally threatened native fauna and flora, such as annual kills of over 1.5 billion native vertebrates and 1.1 billion invertebrates, and potentially the extinctions of at least 28 mammal species and the paradise parrot.[53][54][55] Each cat may kill 740 wild animals per year,[56] and they have also hampered attempts to reintroduce locally extinct species.[57]

Predators and competition

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Despite the misconception that Australian feral cats having no natural predators and acting as apex predators,[16] cats genuinely face predations and competitions from both native and introduced animals. Studies upon Tasmanian devils and dingoes (and feral dogs) indicate their predations and suppressions on cats, especially kittens.[58][59] Cat populations in Tasmania (among areas free of devil facial tumour disease) have been suppressed due to competitions,[60] while some dispute effectiveness of dingo presences.[61][62] Reintroduction of the devil to the mainland has also been proposed as a strategy to control cats there.[63]

Some believe red foxes acting as a predator, and fox eradications may accelerate cat numbers.[64][65] However cats are only part of their diet, and adult cats rarely fall preys to the canids.[16] Cat predations may become more severe when fox numbers have been reduced.[66]

Some snakes, particularly the carpet python and eastern brown snake kill cats,[16] however adult cats are more a threat to native snakes.[67] In some remote areas, wedge-tailed eagles and saltwater crocodiles are known predators, though this is not common.[68][69]

Economic impacts

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Cats are the costliest invasive species in Australia.[70] The cost of invasive cats to the national economy is estimated to be nearly A$19 billion over the 60 years up to 2021, with most of the cost spent on population control. This cost significantly outstrips the next most costly invasive species, with rabbits in Australia coming in at nearly A$2 billion.[71]

Control

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Sign in Springwood Conservation Park Australia - "The problem with pets" - warns about the impact caused by cats on small native species such as the feathertail glider.

Cats are difficult to control for their behavioral patterns, agility, and reproduction rates to overcome artificial barriers, trapping, and baiting.[72][73][74]

Dog detection is effective to find cats.[75] For trapping, Trap–neuter–return is the most favored method by animal welfare groups, although the logistics are difficult particularly in remote regions, and it may stabilizes cat populations instead.[76][77][76]

Shooting is the most commonly taken measure. Ground shooting is effective and resource intensive, while cats often evade and survive aerial shooting. However, shooting is generally expensive and ineffectual to address the source of the problem, and has been a topic of animal welfare issues.[72][78] Some varmint hunters, such as Barry Green, face backlash and even death threats for the culling of the feral cats.[79][80][81]

Baiting is preferred to avoid harms on native species, but is also expensive and its effectiveness has been questioned. Baiting in some jurisdictions, such as Victoria and Queensland, is subject to restrictions, and animal welfare groups advocate for alternatives.[82][83]

Exclosure fences may ease the control particularly on islands, however it requires complex constructions and can be extremely expensive.[84] Following the 2019–2020 bushfires, an exclusion fence had been built on private property around some of the burnt land in Kangaroo Island.[85]

The idea of reintroducing Tasmanian devils has been proposed, due to their effectiveness in cat control in areas where they are present, however has not gained traction.[63]

Eradication

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In 2016, the federal government announced a program to eradicate cats from Bruny Island, French Island, Christmas Island, Dirk Hartog Island and Kangaroo Island.[86]

Kangaroo Island's population is estimated at between 3,000–5,000 and is targeted at being cat free by 2030.[87][88] The 2019–2020 bushfires complicated eradication efforts, as the gradual regrowth of the burnt brush creates cat habitats and increased difficulty to hunt.[89] By the end of 2021, at least 850 cats had been removed from the burnt area at the western end of the island using grooming traps with state-of-the-art technology and cameras.[90]

Pintupi, Nyirripi, and other Western Desert peoples in Western Australia and Northern Territory have been hunting cats for food sources and bush medicine for decades. In 2015, they also participated in a controlling program.[91]

Phantom cats

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The numerous sightings of phantom cats in Australia include the Gippsland phantom cat and the Blue Mountains panther.[92]

Australian folklore holds that some feral cats have grown so large as to cause inexperienced observers to claim sightings of cougars in Western Australia. While this rarely occurs in reality, large specimens are occasionally found: in 2005, a feline was measured to be 176 cm (69 in) from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail in the Gippsland area of Victoria.[93] Subsequent DNA tests showed it to be a feral cat.[94]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 Cats in Australia - Invasive species council
  2. 1 2 Ma, Gemma C.; McLeod, Lynette J. (12 May 2023). "Understanding the Factors Influencing Cat Containment: Identifying Opportunities for Behaviour Change". Animals. 13 (10): 1630. doi:10.3390/ani13101630. ISSN 2076-2615. PMC 10215893. PMID 37238060.
  3. 1 2 Johnson, J; Calver, Mc (2014). "Prevalence of desexed cats in relation to age in a convenience sample of Western Australian cats". Australian Veterinary Journal. 92 (6): 226–227. doi:10.1111/avj.12182. ISSN 0005-0423. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  4. 1 2 Pest plants and animals cost Australia around $25 billion a year – and it will get worse By Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Andrew Hoskins 2 August 2021
  5. ↑ Australia's 10 worst invasive species 20 February 2019
  6. ↑ "Cats in Australia". Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  7. ↑ Aguirre, Jessica Camille (25 April 2019). "Australia Is Deadly Serious About Killing Millions of Cats". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Legge, Sarah; Taggart, Pat L.; Dickman, Chris R.; Read, John L.; Woinarski, John C. Z. (2020). "Cat-dependent diseases cost Australia AU$6 billion per year through impacts on human health and livestock production". Wildlife Research. 47 (8): 731. Bibcode:2020WildR..47..731L. doi:10.1071/WR20089. ISSN 1035-3712.
  9. ↑ Import permits for cats and dogs coming to Australia
  10. ↑ Glen, A. S.; Dickman, C. R. (2008). "Niche overlap between marsupial and eutherian carnivores: does competition threaten the endangered spotted-tailed quoll?". Journal of Applied Ecology. 45 (2): 700–707. Bibcode:2008JApEc..45..700G. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01449.x. ISSN 0021-8901.
  11. 1 2 Koch, K.; Algar, D.; Searle, J. B.; Pfenninger, M.; Schwenk, K. (2015). "A voyage to Terra Australis: human-mediated dispersal of cats". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15 (1): 262. Bibcode:2015BMCEE..15..262K. doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0542-7. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 4669658. PMID 26634827.
  12. 1 2 Cramer, Lorinda (22 April 2024). "'All the Men at the Pump': Water, Wool, and Squatter Anne Drysdale's Diaries, 1840–1851". Australian Historical Studies: 1–18. doi:10.1080/1031461X.2024.2310035. ISSN 1031-461X.
  13. ↑ Brumm, Adam; Koungoulos, Loukas (3 September 2022). "The Role of Socialisation in the Taming and Management of Wild Dingoes by Australian Aboriginal People". Animals. 12 (17): 2285. doi:10.3390/ani12172285. ISSN 2076-2615. PMC 9454437. PMID 36078005.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Abbott, Ian (2002). "Origin and spread of the cat, Felis catus, on mainland Australia, with a discussion of the magnitude of its early impact on native fauna". Wildlife Research. 29 (1): 51. Bibcode:2002WildR..29...51A. doi:10.1071/WR01011. ISSN 1035-3712.
  15. ↑ Abbott, Ian (2008). "Origin and spread of the cat, Felis catus, on mainland Australia: Re-examination of the current conceptual model with additional information" (PDF). Conservation Science Western Australia Journal (7). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "The Cat Problem in Australia". The Sunday Times. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 22 December 1912. Christmas Number, 3rd section, p. 8. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "THE NATURALIST". The Australasian. Vol. CXII, no. 2932. Victoria, Australia. 10 June 1922. p. 54. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ↑ "The Register. ADELAIDE SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 1926". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. XCI, no. 26, 544. South Australia. 23 January 1926. p. 8. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ↑ "Australia's Birds: A British View". The Daily Telegraph. No. 13, 867. New South Wales, Australia. 20 October 1923. p. 14. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ↑ "EXTINCT SPECIES". Daily Mail. No. 7685. Queensland, Australia. 16 October 1926. p. 17. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ↑ "ROYAL SOCIETY". The Advertiser. South Australia. 14 October 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ↑ "PUSS PAYS!". The Sun News-pictorial. No. 2231. Victoria, Australia. 6 November 1929. p. 7. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ↑ "KILL THOSE WILD CATS". The Horsham Times. No. 70, 624. Victoria, Australia. 24 October 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ↑ "Sydney Harbour Bridge was once home to 'world famous' cats". 9news. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  25. ↑ "Menace of wild dogs, cats increasing". The Canberra Times. Vol. 50, no. 14, 802. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 14 June 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  26. ↑ "WILDCATS ARE BUSH KILLERS". Queanbeyan Age. New South Wales, Australia. 19 August 1974. p. 12. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. ↑ "Governor trying to steal my thunder?". Hills Gazette. Vol. 2, no. 85. South Australia. 30 October 1974. p. 4. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  28. ↑ "SANCTUARY FOR THE FUGITIVES OF THE BUSH". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 42, no. 30. Australia, Australia. 25 December 1974. p. 10. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  29. ↑ "ARE CROWS OR CATS THE CULPRITS". King Island News. Tasmania, Australia. 19 November 1975. p. 12. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  30. ↑ "Shoot Feral Cats on Sight". King Island News. Tasmania, Australia. 22 June 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  31. ↑ "Feral Cats and King Island pheasants". King Island News. Tasmania, Australia. 9 November 1977. p. 2. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  32. ↑ "BOUNTY ON FERRAL CATS". King Island News. Tasmania, Australia. 7 November 1979. p. 3. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  33. ↑ "PHEASANT SEASON". King Island News. Tasmania, Australia. 10 September 1980. p. 4. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  34. ↑ "Wild cats as big as foxes shot in WA". The Canberra Times. Vol. 52, no. 15, 592. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 31 May 1978. p. 9. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  35. ↑ "Need to conserve Native Species". Victor Harbour Times. Vol. 67, no. 2, 977. South Australia. 18 July 1979. p. 12. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  36. ↑ "Feral cats cause carnage in the bush". The Canberra Times. Vol. 56, no. 16, 822. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 17 October 1981. p. 2. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  37. ↑ "FERAL CATS, FOXES THREAT TO QUAIL". Port Lincoln Times. Vol. 55, no. 3009. South Australia. 17 February 1982. p. 12. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  38. ↑ "NATURE SERIES". Port Lincoln Times. Vol. 55, no. 3028. South Australia. 2 June 1982. p. 12. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  39. ↑ "New island home for rare rat". Port Lincoln Times. Vol. 56, no. 3189. South Australia. 20 January 1984. p. 6. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  40. ↑ "Ideas wanted on weed pest". Port Lincoln Times. Vol. 56, no. 3190. South Australia. 25 January 1984. p. 3. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  41. ↑ "Birds 'decimated' by feral cats". The Canberra Times. Vol. 65, no. 20, 542. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 10 July 1991. p. 20. Retrieved 21 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  42. 1 2 Readfearn, Graham (15 May 2020). "Keep pet cats indoors, say researchers who found they kill 230m native Australian animals each year". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  43. ↑ "Keeping pet cats indoors would save millions of native animals and billions of dollars. So what's stopping us?". ABC News. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  44. ↑ "Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people" (PDF). AnimalMedicinesAustralia.org.au. Animal Medicines Australia. October 2019.
  45. ↑ "Pet Ownership in Australia 2016" (PDF). AnimalMedicinesAustralia.org.au. Animal Medicines Australia. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2018.
  46. ↑ "Responsible Pet Ownership: Microchipping". RSPCA.org.au.
  47. ↑ "Is desexing mandatory for cats and dogs?". KB.RSPCA.org.au. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  48. ↑ Dana M. Bergstrom, Arko Lucieer, Kate Kiefer, Jane Wasley, Lee Belbin, Tore K. Pedersen, Steven L. Chown, 2009, Indirect effects of invasive species removal devastate World Heritage Island, Journal of Applied Ecology, 46(1), pp.73 - 81, DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01601.x, British Ecological Society
  49. ↑ Emily Hanna, Marcel Cardillo, Shai Meiri, 2013, Island mammal extinctions are determined by interactive effects of life history, island biogeography and mesopredator suppression, Global Ecology and Biogeography, DOI:10.1111/geb.12103, Wiley Online Library
  50. ↑ Dickman, Chris (May 1996). Overview of the Impacts of Feral Cats on Australian Native Fauna (PDF). National Parks and Wildlife, Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Institute of Wildlife Research. ISBN 0-642-21379-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  51. ↑ Robley, A.; Reddiex, B.; Arthur, T.; Pech, R.; Forsyth, D. (September 2004). Interactions between feral cats, foxes, native carnivores, and rabbits in Australia (PDF). Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  52. ↑ Davies, Wally; Prentice, Ralph (March 1980). "The feral cat in Australia". Wildlife in Australia. 17: 20–26, 32. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  53. ↑ "Tackling feral cats". Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  54. ↑ "Feral cats". Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  55. ↑ "Psephotus pulcherrimus — Paradise Parrot". Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  56. ↑ "Feral and pet cats killing 'billions' of native animals each year, research finds". ABC.net.au. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  57. ↑ The Threat Of FeralCats
  58. ↑ McLennan, Elspeth A.; Wise, Phil; Lee, Andrew V.; Grueber, Catherine E.; Belov, Katherine; Hogg, Carolyn J. (2022). "DNA metabarcoding reveals a broad dietary range for Tasmanian devils introduced to a naive ecosystem". Ecology and Evolution. 12 (5) e8936. Bibcode:2022EcoEv..12E8936M. doi:10.1002/ece3.8936. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 9120209. PMID 35600680.
  59. ↑ Allen, Benjamin L.; Allen, Lee R.; Leung, Luke K.-P. (2015). "Interactions between two naturalised invasive predators in Australia: are feral cats suppressed by dingoes?". Biological Invasions. 17 (2): 761–776. Bibcode:2015BiInv..17..761A. doi:10.1007/s10530-014-0767-1. ISSN 1387-3547.
  60. ↑ Cunningham, Calum X.; Johnson, Christopher N.; Jones, Menna E. (2020). "A native apex predator limits an invasive mesopredator and protects native prey: Tasmanian devils protecting bandicoots from cats" (PDF). Ecology Letters. 23 (4): 711–721. Bibcode:2020EcolL..23..711C. doi:10.1111/ele.13473. ISSN 1461-023X. PMID 32056330. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  61. ↑ Wang, Yiwei; Fisher, Diana O. (2012). "Dingoes affect activity of feral cats, but do not exclude them from the habitat of an endangered macropod". Wildlife Research. 39 (7): 611. Bibcode:2012WildR..39..611W. doi:10.1071/WR11210. ISSN 1035-3712.
  62. ↑ Fancourt, Bronwyn A.; Cremasco, Peter; Wilson, Cameron; Gentle, Matthew N. (16 October 2019). "Do introduced apex predators suppress introduced mesopredators? A multiscale spatiotemporal study of dingoes and feral cats in Australia suggests not". Journal of Applied Ecology. 56 (12). Wiley: 2584–2595. Bibcode:2019JApEc..56.2584F. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13514. ISSN 0021-8901.
  63. 1 2 Westaway, Michael C.; Price, Gilbert; Miscamble, Tony; McDonald, Jane; Cramb, Jonathon; Ringma, Jeremy; Grün, Rainer; Jones, Darryl; Collard, Mark (2019). "A palaeontological perspective on the proposal to reintroduce Tasmanian devils to mainland Australia to suppress invasive predators". Biological Conservation. 232: 187–193. Bibcode:2019BCons.232..187W. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2019.02.002.
  64. ↑ Rees, Matthew W.; Pascoe, Jack H.; Le Pla, Mark; Robley, Alan; Birnbaum, Emma K.; Wintle, Brendan A.; Hradsky, Bronwyn A. (2023). "Mesopredator release among invasive predators: Controlling red foxes can increase feral cat density and alter their behaviour". Journal of Applied Ecology. 60 (6): 1100–1114. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.14402. ISSN 0021-8901. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  65. ↑ Rees, M.W.; Pascoe, J.H.; Wintle, B.A.; Le Pla, M.; Birnbaum, E.K.; Hradsky, B.A. (2019). "Unexpectedly high densities of feral cats in a rugged temperate forest". Biological Conservation. 239 108287. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108287.
  66. ↑ Risbey, Danielle A.; Calver, Michael C.; Short, Jeff; Bradley, J. Stuart; Wright, Ian W. (2000). "The impact of cats and foxes on the small vertebrate fauna of Heirisson Prong, Western Australia. II. A field experiment". Wildlife Research. 27 (3): 223. Bibcode:2000WildR..27..223R. doi:10.1071/WR98092.
  67. ↑ Lazenby, Billie T.; Mooney, Nicholas J.; Dickman, Christopher R. (2014). "Effects of low-level culling of feral cats in open populations: a case study from the forests of southern Tasmania". Wildlife Research. 41 (5): 407. Bibcode:2014WildR..41..407L. doi:10.1071/WR14030. ISSN 1035-3712.
  68. ↑ Sharp, Andy, et al. "The breeding season diet of wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax) in western New South Wales and the influence of rabbit calicivirus disease." Wildlife Research 29.2 (2002): 175–184.
  69. ↑ Moseby, Katherine E.; Neilly, Heather; Read, John L.; Crisp, Helen A. (2012). "Interactions between a Top Order Predator and Exotic Mesopredators in the Australian Rangelands". International Journal of Ecology. 2012. Hindawi Limited: 1–15. doi:10.1155/2012/250352. hdl:2440/77850. ISSN 1687-9708.
  70. ↑ Bradshaw, C. J.; Hoskins, A. J.; Haubrock, P. J.; Cuthbert, R. N.; Diagne, C.; Leroy, B.; Andrews, L.; Page, B.; Cassey, P.; Sheppard, A. W.; Courchamp, F. (2021). "Detailed assessment of the reported economic costs of invasive species in Australia" (PDF). NeoBiota. 67 (67): 511–550. Bibcode:2021NeoBi..67..511B. doi:10.3897/neobiota.67.58834. S2CID 237262764.
  71. ↑ Khan, Jo (29 July 2021). "Invasive species have cost Australia $390 billion in the past 60 years, study shows". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  72. 1 2 Dorph, A.; Ballard, G.; Legge, S.; Algar, D.; Basnett, G.; Buckmaster, T.; Dunlop, J.; Edwards, A. M.; Hine, A.; Knight, A. R.; Marshall, E.; McColl-Gausden, S. C.; Pauza, M. D.; Penman, T. D. (3 June 2024). "Current and emerging feral cat management practices in Australia". Wildlife Research. 51 (6). doi:10.1071/WR23107. hdl:1959.11/69153. ISSN 1035-3712. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  73. ↑ Threat abatement plan for predation by feral cats
  74. ↑ Short, Jeff; Turner, Bruce; Risbey, Danielle (2002). "Control of feral cats for nature conservation. III. Trapping". Wildlife Research. 29 (5): 475. doi:10.1071/WR02015. ISSN 1035-3712.
  75. ↑ Baker, G. Barry; Candy, Steven; Robinson, Sue; Friend, J. Anthony; Holdsworth, Mark; Jensz, Katrina; Page, Manda; Algar, Dave (22 July 2021). "Effectiveness of dogs for detecting feral cat scats in wheatbelt reserves of Western Australia". Wildlife Research. 48 (8): 690–700. doi:10.1071/WR20118. ISSN 1035-3712.
  76. 1 2 Wolf, Peter J.; Rand, Jacquie; Swarbrick, Helen; Spehar, Daniel D.; Norris, Jade (16 September 2019). "Reply to Crawford et al.: Why Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Is an Ethical Solution for Stray Cat Management". Animals. 9 (9): 689. doi:10.3390/ani9090689. ISSN 2076-2615. PMC 6769729. PMID 31527537.
  77. ↑ A review of trap-neuter-return (TNR) for the management of unowned cats RSPCA
  78. ↑ Feral cats and cat management: what you need to know. RSPCA Australia 13 May 2024
  79. ↑ Shooting Cats: Australia's War on Feral Cats on YouTube
  80. ↑ "SA bow hunter receives death threats after sharing images of feral cat cull". Nine News. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  81. ↑ "Shooting Cats (2018) - The Screen Guide - Screen Australia". www.screenaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  82. ↑ - PAPP bait for feral cat control Agriculture Victoria
  83. ↑ What is the RSPCA's view on using 1080 for pest animal control?
  84. ↑ Exclosure fencing WA Feral Cat Working Group
  85. ↑ Hughes, Megan (30 December 2021). "Hundreds of feral cats removed from Kangaroo Island in bid to protect endangered native species". ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  86. ↑ Feral animals are running amok on Australia's islands – here's how to stop them By Chris Wilcox and Erin McCreless 20 September 2016
  87. ↑ "'They're highly evolved predators': Kangaroo Island's plan to be cat-free". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 October 2016.
  88. ↑ "Kangaroo Island Feral Cat Eradication Program – Landscape South Australia – Kangaroo Island". Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  89. ↑ Campbell, Claire (12 September 2020). "Endangered species 'looking at extinction' on Kangaroo Island as feral cats roam". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  90. ↑ Perpitch, Nicolas Felixer grooming trap to be rolled out as part of Australia-first strategy to control feral cats ABC News, 28 June 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  91. ↑ Wahlquist, Calla (27 October 2015). "Traditional hunters and western science join forces in the fight against feral cats". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  92. ↑ "Amid sightings and claims of a cover-up, could the Lithgow panther actually exist?". www.abc.net.au. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  93. ↑ "Engel Gippsland big cat". Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  94. ↑ "Australia's new feral mega-cats". 4 March 2007.
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