To help keep cats from killing wildlife, add more meat and play to their day

From the standpoint of humaneness, it seems like feeding meat from domestic animals who have led miserable lives, and may have been tortured at the end, is not better than if the cat kills an animal which has been able to live its life in freedom?

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/cp-thk020321.php

 

News Release 11-Feb-2021
Cell Press

Domestic cats are a major threat to wild species, including birds and small mammals. But researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on February 11 now have evidence that some simple strategies can help to reduce cats' environmental impact without restricting their freedom. Their studies show that domestic cats hunt less when owners feed them a diet including plenty of meat proteins. Equally, it helps to play with them each day in ways that allow cats to mimic hunting.

Domestic cats are a major threat to wild species, including birds and small mammals. But researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on February 11 now have evidence that some simple strategies can help to reduce cats' environmental impact without restricting their freedom. Their studies show that domestic cats hunt less when owners feed them a diet including plenty of meat proteins. Equally, it helps to play with them each day in ways that allow cats to mimic hunting.


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The evidence shows that diets where proteins were derived from meat reduced the number of prey animals brought home to cat owners by 36 percent.

"Some cat foods contain protein from plant sources such as soy, and it is possible that despite forming a 'complete diet' these foods leave some cats deficient in one or more micronutrients--prompting them to hunt," said Martina Cecchetti, the PhD student who conducted the experiments.

In the "play" group, cats could stalk, chase, and pounce on a feather toy dangled by their owner on a string and wand. Owners also gave cats a mouse-like toy to play with after each "hunt," mimicking a real kill. As little as five to ten minutes a day of such play reduced predation by 25 percent, the study reports.

Use of puzzle feeders didn't have the desired effect. In fact, owners found that their cats brought home even more prey animals than before. The reasons for that aren't yet clear. It's possible that in a short trial, cats and owners struggled to use the puzzle feeders and that the cats simply may have been hungrier, the researchers say.

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