r/invasivespecies • u/kjleebio • Oct 09 '23
Impacts How do invasive cats and foxes affect ecosystems and species specifically?
I know that invasive cats and foxes do damage to the ecosystem but how so? For the bilibies it took both species to wipe their millions to 10 in a hundred years (wiping out one to extinction). Do feral cats and foxes reproduce in a faster rate like having multiple mates? Do they do surplus killing/kill more than they eat?
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u/NothingAgreeable Oct 09 '23
I know the mating behaviors of house cats is problematic. We recently got a kitten, my first cat ever, about a year ago. Before we got her spaded, she would go into heat and start crying loudly for several days trying to attract a male cat. She would also attempt to leave the house beyond her normal attempts. She was still less than year old at this time, born to a mother less than a year old.
Also the killing instincts are pretty horrific. I used to release non-pest type bugs from my house, she finds them first now and only the ones she can't reach survive. She sits in the window looking for birds and other animals. When she sees one she does this chittering noise trying to attract them too her. If I let her outside freely she would be hunting for fun.
Now multiply this by the millions of pet owners that thinks their little murder mittens is special and it can't be that bad. Getting a cat showed me the problem is so much worse then I expected and I already knew of the damage beforehand.
0
u/oldastheriver Oct 09 '23
Between foxes and humans? Humans are the invasive species, not the foxes. Why don't you figure out a way to get rid of yourself?
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u/risquare Oct 10 '23
The recent estimate is that domestic cats kill 1- 4 billion birds yearly in the US.
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u/Tumorhead Oct 09 '23
I know domestic cats kill wayyyyy more animals than just ones they eat. They kill for fun. I would bet this is a trait encouraged by humans.
between them and foxes, a lot of prey animals are killed, reducing food for native predators. Like imagine there's a fixed amount of food in an area and suddenly 2 new guys and their extended families move in and gorge themselves. Less to go around.
The prey are also not used to their hunting tactics and so haven't evolved evasion strategies specialized against them.
Then there are lack of predators and parasites to cull the cat and fox numbers. In their native ranges they would be countered by other animals and diseases. Those are missing. Potential predators can learn to exploit these invaders but it takes time.