University of Queensland Study Finds Domestic Cat Attacks Caused 311 NSW Wildlife Rescues Over 11 Years

Abc reported that University of Queensland researchers found domestic cat attacks responsible for 0.6 percent of threatened native animals taken to NSW wildlife carers between 2013 and 2024. The analysis covered 158 threatened and endangered species and recorded 52,475 total rescues, of which 311 were attributed to cat attacks.

The study was conducted in collaboration with the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation.

Lead researcher Kate Dutton-Regester, a wildlife ecologist at the UQ School of Veterinary Science, said data on feral cats had been applied too broadly to domestic animals. "They behave very differently, and we have been using data obtained from our feral cats on our urban cats," she said. Dutton-Regester noted that dog attacks accounted for three times as many rescues as domestic cat attacks.

The study identified entanglement, drought, abandonment, environmental factors and vehicle strikes among the leading causes of rescue. Flying foxes were the most frequently rescued animals, followed by koalas, which were mainly affected by disease and vehicle strikes. Squirrel gliders were often rescued after becoming trapped in fruit netting or fencing.

Abc reported that Professor Sarah Legge from Charles Darwin University said rescue and rehabilitation records do not provide the best measure of pet cat impact. She recommended radio-tracking cats and examining gut contents instead. Legge added that the overall predation toll from the pet cat population remains large even if individual animals kill fewer prey than feral cats.

Jacquie Rand, executive director of the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation and a report co-author, supported voluntary containment but opposed mandates, calling them difficult to enforce. She said high-intensity desexing programs in lower socio-economic areas have reduced free-roaming cats in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.