Killer instinct: Cats kill more than 2,000 species globally, trigger conservation concern

Cats are one of the most well-loved pets. These furry, purring creatures are adorable human companions are however also one of nature's most effective killers. As per a new study, cats eat more than 2,000 species globally, and their hunting skills are a cause of conservation concern.

The study published in Nature Communications describes cats as "amongst the most problematic invasive species in the world".

Researchers write that their study "sheds light on the predatory habits of one of the world’s most successful and widely distributed invasive predators."

As per the study by Christopher Lepczyk from Auburn University in the US, birds, mammals, insects, and reptiles are all part of cats' prey. About 17 per cent of these hunts are a cause of conservation concern. 

The Guardian reports that this study is the first to quantify a cat's diet on a global scale. It found that cats consume 981 species of birds, 463 different types of reptiles, 431 mammals, 119 species of insects and 57 amphibians.

As per the Guardian, the felines are particularly damaging on islands. There, compared to continents, they eat three times the number of species of conservation concern.

They are known to have eaten now-extinct species, including New Zealand's Stephens Island Rockwren and the New Zealand quail.

In Australia, the small felines kill an estimated 300 million animals every year, prompting conservation groups to call for keeping cats indoors. 

Some places, as per the Guardian, have even implemented feline lockdowns. In Walldorf, a German town, to protect an endangered population of a small bird species: the crested larks, people have been instructed to keep cats locked inside for three months in spring — when the bird breeds.

In New Zealand, cats have become the topic of a fierce debate. One politician has even begun campaigning to eradicate the domesticated felines, erupting in controversy as children were encouraged to shoot feral cats.

The research found that "Cats are largely eating what is present."

"If a species is missing in the diet analysis, it is likely that the prey is either absent or rare in the surrounding environment," write the researchers. They estimate that cats eat nine per cent of known birds, six per cent of known mammals and four per cent of known reptile species.