Personality Matters: Owner-Ascribed Personality Predicts Range Size Tendencies and Predation Behavior in Domestic...

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Animal Behavior
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) are known island predators, but their continental wildlife impact is unclear.
• Predation and space use are crucial for understanding feline influence on prey populations via direct and sublethal effects.
• While biological and environmental factors are studied, feline personality's role in hunting and roaming remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of domestic cat personality on their predation behavior and space use.
• To compare the reliability of animal-borne cameras versus owner reports for assessing predation events.

Main Methods:

• Monitoring 23 domestic cats in a suburban area using GPS and animal-borne cameras (kittycams).
• Analyzing cat predation behavior with a detailed ethogram and space use via core (aKDEc50) and full (aKDEc95) range parameters.
• Assessing predation events and prey diversity using camera data.

Main Results:

• Feline personality significantly affects both range size and hunting propensity.
• Cats exhibiting high agreeableness and neuroticism demonstrated smaller home ranges and reduced hunting activity.
• Animal-borne cameras proved more reliable than owner reports, detecting 31 kills versus only one reported prey.

Conclusions:

• Individual personality traits are key determinants of domestic cat ecological impact.
• Tailored management strategies can be developed based on personality-driven behavior to mitigate wildlife predation.
• Animal-borne cameras offer a superior method for accurate predation assessment in domestic cat studies.