Variable Vigilance: Native Wildlife React Differently to Live Cats and Their Cues

Variable Vigilance: Native Wildlife React Differently to Live Cats and Their Cues

Cats (Felis catus) kill millions of native Australian mammals and birds each year. The prey naivety hypothesis suggests this is due to native wildlife failing to recognise cats as predators. The Mata Hari Judas (MHJ) queen technique, where confined female cats are put into prolonged oestrus, has recently been trialled in situ as a method to attract and capture feral cats. This created the opportunity to observe how native wildlife respond to a live cat, or their olfactory and auditory cues, using camera trap detections before and after the introduction of a MHJ queen or its cues. Daily detection rates of eastern grey kangaroos, Australian magpies, noisy miners and northern brown bandicoots around the live cat did not differ between baseline and live cat periods, suggesting these species may not recognise live cats as a threat. However, red-necked wallabies and grey butcherbirds reduced activity in response to live cats or their cues. This study demonstrates that native Australian wildlife exhibit variable behavioural responses to cats and their cues. As predator control strategies evolve, integrating behavioural ecology into their design will be critical for their effectiveness, such as prioritising species that lack predator awareness.