A preliminary study on behavioral ecology of free-ranging cats on Wuhan University campus
As pet cats become increasingly popular in our lives,the challenge posed by free-ranging cats has become more prominent.These cats may carry various zoonotic parasites,causing disturbance to the local ecosystem and poing public safety risks.Consequently,it is crucial to undertake studies on free-ranging cats and develop appropriate manage-ment strategies to address this growing concern.From September 2021 to December 2022,a comprehensive survey of the free-ranging cat population on the Wuhan University campus was carried out using the line transect method,estimat-ing cat numbers through the capture-mark-recapture approach.Twenty free-ranging cats were tracked with positioning col-lars to determine their home ranges.The socialization levels were categorized following their observed behaviors.The findings revealed a density of approximately 1 cat per hectare on the Wuhan University campus,coupled with a low rate of neutering.The home range of free-ranging cats on campus is 4.99±0.84 hm2,and 85%of their time is spent within a 100-m radius of feeding locations.The higher the density of feeding point,the smailer their activity range.Examining gender differences,male cats exhibited a larger activity range than females,with neutering showing no discernible effect on activity range.In terms of socialization behavior,the campus free-ranging cats demonstrated higher socialization levels to humans compared to their non-campus counterparts.As the density of feeding locations increased,the socialization behaviors in free-ranging cats also increased.This study highlighted that there are a large number of free-ranging cats on the campus,with a low neutering rate and a small home range,maily distributed near feeding locations.The density of feeding locations signifi-cantly influences the daily behavior of free-ranging cats:an increase in feeding points can lead to a reduction of the home range and an increase in socialization levels.Recommendations for control measures include:① regulating the population of free-ranging cats on campus by implementing measures to control abandonment,and actively promote adoption after neu-tering of these cats;② establishing centralized feeding locations and increasing feeding point density in designated areas to limit the home range of free-ranging cats,and decreasing feeding locations in the remaining areas to safeguard wildlife.This study offers new empirical data and theoretical insights for the management of campus free-ranging cats.