Invasive Animal Research - Free Roaming Cats in Hooffs Run.
The environmental impact of free ranging domestic cats within
the Hooffs Run watershed will be addressed in the post. According to the
Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (ASNV), free roaming domestic and feral cats
are the second biggest driver of the decline in birds in the US and Canada.
Furthermore, “free roaming cats threaten birds and other wildlife, disrupt ecosystems,
and spread diseases.”
The Wildlife Society notes that free roaming cats “decrease
native wildlife abundance and diversity, especially of species that nest on or
near the ground”, and are responsible for “at least 33 bird species globally”.
Within the Hooffs Run watershed it is difficult to determine exactly which birds are at
most risk from free roaming cats, but Mourning Doves, Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, Starlings and Blue Jays are likely
to be at high risk given their prevalence.
In 2016 the Smithsonian Magazine reported that "Americans
own about 86 million cats, or one cat for every three households”. As of
2019, the US Census reports there are just over 70,000 households in Alexandria.
If a third of those households are cat owners as the Smithsonian Magazine
suggests, then there are approximately 23,000 cats in Alexandria.
Within the City of Alexandria there are 10 watersheds, of
which Hooffs Run is roughly in the middle in terms of total geographic size. If the cat
population is distributed evenly throughout the households in the 10
watersheds, then the Hooffs Run watershed is home to approximately 2,300 cats. While
the Smithsonian Magazine figure is a national total, and there is no easily accessible
information to confirm the total population of cats in Hooffs Run, the amount of 2,300 cats seems like a reasonable approximation.
A survey conducted by Vet Street in 2014 found that 75% of
cat owners keep their cats indoors, and they do not let them roam free. A study
in 2019 by the American Pet Products Association reached a similar conclusion. Therefore,
if 75% of households with cats in the Hooffs Run watershed keep their cats
indoors, with 25% letting them roam free, there are approximately 575 free roaming
cats.
Research conducted by the University of Georgia in 2012
suggested that outdoor cats average 2 kills per week. It is therefore fairly
possible that cats within the Hooffs Run watershed are responsible for
approximately 1,000 deaths each week. The study further noted that cats “will kill a
wide variety of animals, including: lizards, voles, chipmunks, birds, frogs and
small snakes.” While these figures are only approximations, and the actual
numbers might differ, what is clear is that there are cats within the Hooffs
Run watershed that are causing an environmental impact through killing prey, particularly
birdlife.
There are no easy solutions to this problem, as there would
appear little appetite within Alexandria, or the broader District of Columbia,
Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area, to impose greater regulations and
restrictions on cat ownership. While in theory cat owners could be forced to
change their behavior through fines and penalties, this would be difficult to
implement and enforce, and is not likely a priority for local and state legislative
bodies.
However, this has been attempted elsewhere, with the South Australian town of Mount Barker banning cats from being outdoors between 8pm and 7pm. Owners are required to register their cats, and “cats found breaking the curfew will be reunited with their owners, or impounded and rehomed” if the owner can not be found.
Perhaps more reasonable for the political realities of the City of Alexandria, the ASNV offers some practical solutions for cat owners,
such as:
- Building an outdoor enclosure (aka “catio”) that allows a cat to move outside within a secure space
- Modifying an existing fence to be cat safe, allowing a cat to roam within a private yard.
- Walking cats on leashes or harnesses.
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