Written by Catherine Madden Wednesday, 11 April 2007 19:40
For six weeks wildlife biologists, led by Associate Professor Mike Calver, studied the behaviour of 56 cats whose owners had identified them as hunters, before and after they were fitted with a CatBib.
The bib is a commericially available piece of brightly coloured neoprene – or wetsuit fabric – that is attached to a cat's collar while it is outside.
Researchers found that the bib altered the cats' ability to pounce, while serving as a warning to wildlife.
"The results revealed that the CatBibs stopped 81 per cent of cats from catching birds, 33 per cent from catching reptiles and frogs, and 45 per cent from catching mammals," Professor Calver says.
"Alone or in combination with a bell, these deterrent devices may lead to reductions of 50 per cent in the numbers of prey taken by pet cats and may stop some from hunting altogether.
A study in the 1990s found that domestic cats, no matter how well fed, hunt and kill 32 vertebrates each every year. With more than three million pet cats in Australia, this adds up to a death toll of at least 96 million birds, mammals and reptiles.
Hunting behaviour is instinctive, says animal behaviour specialist and vet Kersti Seksel.
"Modern domestic cats are descended from an African wildcat called the kaffir, which was a nocturnal opportunistic hunter," she says.
"Hunting is a natural instinct. It has the same trigger for movement in the brain as the one that causes a dog to follow a ball. Not all cats hunt, however, and often their catch is not the healthiest of wildlife. Just like lions, they target the weakest link – the slowest or one that's injured."
Professor Calver says the CatBib poses no safety risk to the cat beyond that inherent in cats wearing a normal safety collar, and most cats in the study got used to it very quickly.
For more information, visit www.catgoods.com.
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The response from cat owners has been overwhelmingly positive and copies of comments from them can be had from david@catbib.com.au