Feline Foods: Researchers Find Domestic Cats Eat over 2,000 Different Species Around the World

Your feline friend may have a wider appetite than you thought! New research shows domesticated cats are hungry for species over double their size around the world.

domesticated cats
These cunning creatures have been found to prey on large animals such as emu and cows.

Cats have been domesticated by humans for over 10,000 years. Their domestication has been connected to the Fertile Crescent and the earliest civilizations. Despite being domesticated for generations, cats still have their wild instincts and hunt species beyond what we thought.

Are cats an invasive species?

People all over the planet have fallen in love with the animal because of their aloof companionship. This has brought felines from the middle east to countries all over, introducing another predator into vulnerable ecosystems.

While they are not classified as an invasive species, domestic housecats hunt and kill native species. This disrupts ecosystems wherever cats are introduced, especially where there are high populations of feral outdoor cats.

Cats live off of a diet of mainly meats because of their difficulty processing plants. This is usually supplemented by canned and processed wet and dry food. However, many cats’ natural prey drive lead them to hunt outside.

More than just birds and mice

When thinking of what cat's hunt, most people think of mice and birds. This is partly true. 47% of the over 2,000 species cats’ prey on are birds. It is not just small birds; the research found some cats have preyed on emus in Australia. These birds are over 10 times the size of an average housecat.

While this only takes up a small percentage of what cats eat this is still an impressive feat.

The next largest species group included in a housecats diet are reptiles. 22% of species eaten by cats are reptiles the largest of which being a green sea turtle. Mammals make up about 20% of species found. In this category we see mice, as expected, but researchers also found that cows make the list.

Extinction by feline

Of the 2,084 species found to be consumed by cats, 341 are now near threatened or worse. Birds are the largest victim of cats’ predation as some have now become extinct due to the introduction of cats into their ecosystem.

Among these are the Hawaiian crow, which is now extinct in the wild because of cats. The crows did not have a natural defense system against the cats. The white footed rabbit in Australia has also gone extinct due to predation by cats.

A tough issue to solve

Cats are naturally expert predators. They have retractable sharp claws, agile bodies, and even night vision making them fierce hunters. Despite being domesticated to live in homes with humans, so many of the species live outside, free to hunt as they please.

feral cats
Cats are severely overpopulated and their opportunistic diets allow them to survive without homes.

Invasive species are difficult to get a handle on usually, but cats pose a unique problem as most do live inside and do not hunt prey. However, it is an issue of an invasive species eradicating natural biodiversity.

An easy first step to help the issue is responsible cat owners. Keeping your feline friends inside lowers the impacts of cats on native ecosystems.

News Reference:

Lepczyk, C. et al. "A global synthesis and assessment of free-ranging domestic cat diet." Nature (2023). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42766-6.