Quantifying prey return rates of domestic cats in the UK

Non‐native predators can cause great harm to natural ecosystems through competition for resources and by directly predating on native species. Domestic cats (Felis catus) predate on wild prey throughout the world and have been implicated in a number of species declines. However, in the UK, long‐term, widespread research is lacking.

The data provided here relate to prey returned home by pet cats in the UK over a total period of 3.5 years (ranging from one month to 3.5 years per cat). These data were collected by cat owners across the UK, noting details of the prey returned home by their cats monthly. Data were gathered upon registration regarding the age, sex, and body condition of participating cats, allowing for the analysis of the potential influence of such factors. 

While most cats returned 0–1 prey per month, a small minority (n = 3 cats) returned over 15 individuals monthly. It is important that true predation rates (in addition to the return rates found here) are further explored and quantified, along with the actual impact that this has or does not have on prey populations.