RESEARCH - Participate in Cat and Wild Bird Study

The issue of bird mortality caused by cats has long been a concern for people involved with birds around the world.

In an effort to understand people’s experience with and perception of wild birds and cats, the University of Guelph (U of G) has created a new study.

This new study is part of a larger body of research by the U of G.

They recently released an outdoor cat population study they completed in the city of Guelph.

Based on 145 surveys, the city has about 7,600 outdoor cats, up to 50 per city block. Guelph is home to 120,000 people.

The researchers counted cats on city streets, paths and alleys, and estimated totals for each survey area. The approach uses information readily available in most urban areas in North America, they said.

“The study was done using techniques that are easy, quick and cheap, providing an opportunity to apply the method to any community that is interested in knowing their number of free-roaming outdoor cats,” lead author Tyler Flockhart, a Liber Ero post-doctoral researcher at U of G, said in a release.

“The hope is that we can bring together cat supporters and bird advocates to take actions to improve cat welfare and reduce the effect of outdoor cats on birds.”

You are invited to participate by taking the study which examines perceptions of wild birds and outdoor cats.

Participants can enter for a chance to win $100 (odds are 1 in 250)!

Participation involves the completion of two short online surveys and the viewing of a short interactive online video, all done in one sitting.

The survey will take approximately 20 minutes in total and all participants must be 18 years of age or older.

If you are interested in participating please click on this link.

You are invited to widely distribute/ pass on this survey link to your contacts.

Contact Kenlyn Ramsey with any questions or concerns regarding this study. Research Ethics Board Approved (REB# 16JN033)

Urban Animal Scholarship Finalist Studies Urban Feline Populations

Dr. Flockhart removes a tracking collar. Photo credit: Eric Foss/CBC

Accurate data do not exist regarding the feral cat population in Ontario. Dr. Tyler Flockhart is a post-doctoral fellow that is studying feline overpopulation and its management. In 2012, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies estimated that approximately 600,000 cats in Canadian shelters did not find homes. According to Toronto Animal Services, in 2014 the feral cat population in Toronto was approximately 100,000.

One issue is that no one knows how many feral cats reside in Canada. Not only do feral cats disturb gardens and yowl at night, it is also believed that in Canada they kill hundreds of millions of songbirds each year. Cats can also carry toxoplasmosis; a parasitic disease that can infect humans.

The Chair of Guelph Humane Society, Dr. Shane Bateman said, "A good scientific look at history would tell us that the current model [euthanizing stray cats that do not find homes] just simply doesn't work. There are probably more cats today than there have ever been, and so euthanizing and trying to get ahead of the population explosion that way just simply isn't a good option, and it's a very, very unpalatable option for communities who are more and more concerned about animal welfare. Everybody has an opinion and sometimes those opinions can be very passionate and that only adds to the challenge around this work." 

Flockhart said, "People are looking for solutions and quite often those solutions need to deviate from what's been done over the past 30, 50, 60 years."

In 2014, Toronto started a trap, neuter, return program. Bateman said, "Until we have more scientific information about the utility and importance of tools like trap-neuter-return or accessible or low-cost spay-neuter, it's difficult to know because these are huge resource-intensive programs and projects." 

"We have pretty good information on the number of cats that come in and go out of animal shelters, but we don't know the number of cats on the street for sure, and we don't even really know the proportion of cats that have indoor-outdoor access. These are really basic questions that require numbers so that we can address the magnitude of the risk and how we might address it", said Flockhart. 

Flockhart is performing research to answer several critical questions. He is developing a population model for cats and is tracking feral cats in Toronto and Guelph to examine their movements. Flockhart’s research should provide crucial information on feral cat populations and successful management of Canada’s feral felines. Flockhart will be presenting this research at the Summit for Urban Animal Strategies in Lake Louise this October.

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View Flockart on Canada AM - July 27, 2015