Monitoring Country
Feral Cat
- Budjigarr in Yuwaalaraay/Yuwaalayaay, Bujibuji in Rembarrnga, Bujigan in Wubuy, Bujigat in Ngalakgan/Ngandi/Ritharrŋu/Kriol, Burrgiyan in Gamilaraay / Gamilaroi / Kamilaroi, Gajakkurru in Rembarrnga, Garnbulanyi in Marra, Nyun.Ngarri in Alawa
- Scientific name: Felis catus
Feral Cats are the same species as pet and stray cats. Feral Cats are not cared for or owned by people and don’t rely on human food from towns or cities. They are an invasive species that live in the bush across Australia. They survive by scavenging and hunting other animals, including native mammals, birds, lizards and snakes, frogs, fish and insects.
Feral Cats are a threat to native species
Feral Cats are carnivorous and like to eat live prey but will also scavenge on carrion, including native mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, fish and insects, and non-native animals like House Mice and Rabbits.
Feral Cats are a serious threat to Australia’s wildlife because they kill about 3 billion native animals every year. Predation by Feral Cats has contributed to the extinction of more than 20 mammal species and is recognised as a threat to over 200 threatened fauna species.
Feral Cats also compete for food resources with native predators like quolls, eagles and goannas, and have diseases that can infect native animals, livestock and humans like toxoplasmosis.
Feral Cats are listed as a declared pest in all Australian states and territories, and predation by Feral Cats is identified as one of the key threatening processes to native species under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. There is a national Threat Abatement Plan for predation by Feral Cats.
Managing Feral Cats
Total eradication of Feral Cats is not currently possible because of how widespread and well-adapted they are to Australia. Best practice management of Feral Cats therefore aims to reduce the threat of predation to native animals. Control methods for Feral Cats include:
- Shooting
- Tracking by Rangers or with detector dogs
- Trapping using cage traps and soft-jaw leg-hold traps
- Feral predator-proof fenced areas
- Grooming traps, like the Felixer™ which uses AI technology to recognise a Feral Cat and spray it with 1080 poison
- Aerial or ground baiting using poison bait sausages, like Eradicat® which uses 1080 poison or Curiosity ® which uses PAPP
Reducing the impact of Feral Cats is most effective when Feral Cat control programs are also combines with control of Rabbits.
Where they live
Occurrence Records
Use the + - Zoom controls to select an area
Where they live
Cats were introduced to Australia by early European colonisers. They quickly spread across Australia and are now found almost everywhere, excluding some islands and fenced areas.
Habitat
Feral Cats have invaded all habitat types across Australia including woodlands, shrublands, wetlands, grasslands, alpine areas and deserts, and agricultural areas.
Where they sleep
Cats are mostly solitary and nocturnal (active at night). They spend most of the day hiding in things like rock piles, logs, thick shrubs or other animals’ burrows.
What Feral Cats look like
Feral Cats look very similar to domestic cats but tend to grow larger - normally between 2.5 to 6.5 kg.
Image of Feral Cat, track and scat
Better understand:
REMEMBER! Any time you do work that might disturb or interfere with native animals and vegetation, particularly threatened species, you need to check with the state authorities to see if you need any approvals, such as licences or animal ethics committee permits. Click here for links to your state’s websites.
You can monitor Feral Cats to better understand:
- Where Feral Cats are and aren’t on Country
- How many Feral Cats live on Country
- How well management of Country and Feral Cats is working
By using one or more the following methods, you can better understand Feral Cats on your Country. If you monitor the same place at the same time every year, you can see if there are changes to Feral Cats on Country.
If you are planning to implement a management plan for Feral Cats, a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) monitoring design can be used to look at whether your management is working well. This involves comparing measurement at an “impact” site, where the management is taking place, and at a “control” site, where the management isn’t taking place, both before and after the management (e.g. trapping, baiting, shooting) occurs.
2 Ha Plot: Tracks, Scats, Diggings & Signs Survey
A good way to monitor Feral Cats is by searching 2 ha areas for all signs of Feral Cats, including tracks and scats. The survey is used to find signs of lots of different animals, not just Feral Cats. This survey doesn’t need specialised equipment but it is useful to have some tracking skills.
What can you learn?
Presence/absence – if and where Feral Cats live on Country
Occupancy - If enough plots surveyed, the presence/absence data can be used to estimate occupancy. This type of modelling helps to work how many places really have Feral Cats, even if they weren’t detected at every plot. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be and if is getting smaller/bigger over time.
Activity - how many signs of Feral Cats were detected during the survey. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be.
Population size – if enough fresh scat can be collected and sent off for genetic analysis, the information can be used in a capture-recapture analysis to estimate how many Feral Cats live on Country.
Using it the Right-way
Feral Cat tracks can be difficult to tell apart from Foxes, Feral Dogs and Dingoes.
Feral Cat scat can be hard to find because they often bury their scat.
You can learn more about the 2 Ha Plot method on the “How we check on things” page and in the Standard Operating Procedure 2 Ha Plot: Tracks, Scats, Diggings & Signs Survey
Remote Camera Survey
Remote cameras can be set up to take photos whenever an animal passes in front of the camera. This method is useful for Feral Cats because it means you don’t have to search for or catch them. This type of survey can be used to monitor lots of different animals or can be targeted just to Feral Cats.
You will need to buy good quality remote cameras, but not much training is needed for deploying cameras or identifying cats in the images. Individual identification for estimating population size will require more practice/training. Images can also be processed first with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which can be useful when you have large numbers of images.
What can you learn?
Presence/absence – if and where Feral Cats live on Country
Occupancy - If enough cameras are deployed at different sites, the presence/absence data can be used to estimate occupancy. This type of modelling helps to work how many places really have Feral Cats, even if they weren’t detected on every camera. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be and if is getting smaller/bigger over time.
Activity - how many detections of Feral Cats during the survey. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be.
Population size – if the cats detected on camera can be individually identified, the information can be used in a capture-recapture analysis to estimate how many Feral Cats live on Country.
Using it the Right-way
Feral Cats use lots of different habitat types, so make sure the cameras are spread across all of the different major habitat types found on Country.
If the cameras are lured, use a meat or fish-based lure like tuna oil, tinned cat food or chicken necks. Make sure the lure is in the field of view of the camera.
Most camera surveys targeting Feral Cats have the cameras:
- Along tracks, roads, trails created by animals or other linear features like dry river beds. You may not want to put cameras along publicly accessible roads to avoid cameras being stolen.
- Facing towards the south and angled across the road/track trail (not at a right angle, often at a 23˚angle)
- Aimed toward the middle of the road/track/trail (about 4.5cm away) from about 50 cm above the ground
- Deployed for at least 30 days
- At least 30 sites, spaced between 1 to 2 km apart
You can learn more about remote cameras on the “How we check on things” page and in the Standard Operating Procedure TITLE OF SOP
Spotlighting
Spotlighting surveys along transects can be used to monitor Feral Cats, particularly in flat and open habitats. They are particularly useful if repeated regularly over a long period of time. These surveys need only some simple equipment (head torches or spotlights) and a little bit of practice spotting and identifying animals at night.
What can you learn?
Presence/absence – if and where Feral Cats live on Country
Occupancy - If enough Feral Cats are detected at different sites, the presence/absence data can be used to estimate occupancy. This type of modelling helps to work how many places really have Feral Cats, even if they weren’t detected on every transect. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be and if is getting smaller/bigger over time.
Activity - how many detections of Feral Cats during the survey. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be.
Population size – if at least 60-80 Feral Cats are seen on transect, the information can be used in a distance-sampling analysis to estimate how many Feral Cats live on Country.
Using it the Right-way
Feral Cats use lots of different habitat types, so make sure the transects are spread across all of the different major habitat types found on Country.
This survey may not be useful in areas where Feral Cats are managed with shooting because they may have learnt to avoid cars and lights.
Feral Cats have very bright eyeshine with a blue-green colour, but can easily be confused with Foxes, Feral Dogs and Dingoes.
You can learn more about spotlighting with line transects on the “How we check on things” page and in the Standard Operating Procedure Mammal Spotlighting Survey with Line Transects.
Any time you do work that might disturb or interfere with native animals and vegetation, check with the state authorities to see if you need any approvals.
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Camera traps can be used to capture photos of Cats.
2 Ha Plot: Tracks, Scats, Diggings & Signs Survey
This is a method where trackers search a 2 hectare (Ha) area for all signs of animals, including tracks, scats, diggings and other signs. Signs can include:
· tracks
· fur or feathers
· …
Primary sources
This landing page was developed using the following sources:
Primary sources
This landing page was developed using the following resources:
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (2024). Feral Cats. https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/invasive-species/feral-animals-australia/feral-cats
- Woinarski, J., Murphy, B., Legge, S. (2020). Research Findings factsheet: The impact of cats in Australia. NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub. https://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/publications-and-tools/the-impact-of-cats-in-australia
- 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. (2024). Current and emerging feral cat management practices in Australia. Wildlife Research 51(2024): WR23107. DOI: 10.1071/WR23107
Tools and resources
- Record Feral Cat sightings and activity on the Feral Cat Scan app: https://www.feralscan.org.au/feralcatscan/default.aspx
- Codes for the humane capture, handling and destruction of feral animals in Australia: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/invasive-species/publications/model-codes-practice-feral-animals
Tools and resources
No additional tools or resources found.