Feral Free-ranging Cats on Maui: Addressing Conflicts with Wildlife and Conflicts with Human Health

1. Feral Free-ranging Cats on Maui: Addressing Conflicts with Wildlife & Conflicts with Human Health Fern P. Duvall II, Ph.D., Wildlife Biologist, Department of Land & Natural Resources, Division of Forestry & Wildlife, Maui District and Lorrin W. Pang, MD., M.P.H., District Health Officer Department of Health, Maui District

2. This slide show contains some graphic images.

3. Feral and Free Ranging Cats and Conflict with Maui Nui Wildlife

4. My Goal: Inform you about feral free-ranging cats and the threat they pose to Hawaii’s native birds.

5. What is a feral cat?

6. Feral cats are unowned , free-ranging, untamed cats separated from domestication. Feral cats may be born in the wild and never socialized, or may be abandoned or lost pets that have become wild. MORE NUMEROUS THAN STRAY CATS – THEY RANGE THE WHOLE ISLAND

7. What is a stray cat? Stray cats are cats that have lived with humans and have become lost or they have HAD owners who illegally abandoned their animals.

8. Stray cats that have acclimated to the wild, and survived, can often be mistaken for feral cats, as their behaviors have adjusted in order to survive, leading them to run from humans, avoid touch and hide to protect themselves.

9. A stray cat may or may not have acclimated to life in the “wild”. Cats that do not acclimate are often found starving and ill – colony life is not really safe for ANY cats. And OTHER new issues just arrived here on Maui …

10. Cats and pets could be blinded by Little Fire Ant stings if the newly found ants become firmly established. Cat blinded by stings to eyes

12. In Maui Nui feral free-ranging cats have become a public nuisance

13. And as excellent hunters, feral and free-ranging cats are one of the greatest threats to our native Hawaiian birds.

16. Cats are excellent hunters.

18. Warning: Graphic Pictures Ahead

22. In Hawaii an unspayed female cat, her mate, and all of their offspring producing 2 litters per year with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter can total: 1 year = 12 2 years = 67 3 years = 376 4 years=2,107 5 years= 11,801 6 years= 66,088 7 years= 370,092 8 years= 2,072,514 9 years= 11,606,077

23. Take a moment to think about that.

25. That means that for every 1 resident on Maui Island there are more than 2 feral free-ranging cats AND the number of cats getting neutered/spayed, is currently at less than 1 percent. This DOES NOT affect the population’s growth.

28. Feral cat feeding station, Borders Book Store, Kona, Hawaii “ Hundreds of thousands of feral cats could be roaming the Big Island, from beaches to higher elevations, and as many as 10 percent of those animals could be carrying infectious diseases like feline leukemia and feline AIDS” - Josi Morgan, director of the Hawaii Island Humane Society West Hawaii Today, Sunday, March 23, 2008

30. Although well meaning, most cat colony caretakers may misunderstand, minimize, or choose to ignore the documented concerns regarding the ecological, domestic animal, public health, humane, and social nuisance impacts of feral free-ranging cats.

31. Hawaii is the most isolated land mass on Earth … What I want you to remember

33. Feral and even Pet free-ranging cats pose an enormous threat to our native species.

34. Especially our birds… Wedge-tailed Shearwaters killed by feral cats on the island of Maui

38. Wedge-tailed Shearwater colonies on all islands are facing tremendous pressure from feral and free ranging cats

39. Entire breeding colonies on Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai have been decimated by these introduced non-native predators.

41. Warning: Graphic Pictures

42. Feral and free ranging cats are EATING our birds.

44. Our Endangered Species are also at Risk.

46. Tragedy in our most pristine mountains.

47. Hawaiian Petrel adult – Cat killed bird

48. An `Ua`u (Hawaiian Petrel) that was depredated by a feral cat on remotest Mauna Loa, Hawai`i. It is possible that all Hawai`i `Ua`u will soon be extirpated if predation continues at the present levels Credit: Fredrick R. Warshauer

49. A complete mandible of a young `U`au (Hawaiian Petrel) found in feral cat stomach from Mauna Loa in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

50. All it takes is one cat At the right place At the right time… To cause irreparable harm.

51. Fledgling Hawaiian Petrel at its burrow in Haleakala National Park

55. Our Hawaiian birds are in danger.

56. These introduced non-native killers are at their door

57. If you don’t want to have to go to the Bishop Museum to look at Maui’s native birds, then you must act now.

58. Before it’s too late.

59. Feeding of feral and free ranging cats not only bolsters cat numbers, but also attracts mongoose and other introduced predators to an area. It often concentrates cats near native wildlife habitat at very high densities.

60. We can’t keep looking the other way.

61. We must act now, as we are the only voice for our truly irreplaceable native, threatened, and endangered species.