Kitty-cam chaos: Activists, researchers at odds over Carte Blanche episode 

The results of a study, which saw cats fitted with video cameras and their hunting monitored, has cat welfare organisations up in arms over fears that it could lead to people killing cats unnecessarily.

The study, conducted by University of Cape Town (UCT) researchers and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in July, has estimated that Cape Town’s domestic cats are killing around 27.5 million creatures every year. 

The study concluded that cats living near the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) were likely to kill more than 200,000 animals annually. 

Cats were fitted with “kitty-cams”, and had their hunting movements recorded over 700 hours. 

The results were recently aired in an episode of Carte Blanche, which cat welfare organisation Cats of South Africa (CoSA) has branded sensational and controversial. 

National Cat Action Taskforce (NCat) chairperson Anneke Malan told The Citizen that CoSA contacted producers before the episode was aired, and demanded a right of reply on behalf of cat welfare. 

“We are the organisations that have to deal with the sickening cruelty perpetuated on cats whenever these controversial and largely inaccurate studies receive publicity.

“We condemn the producers for allowing such editorial vandalism to take place,” Malan said, adding that CoSA’s objections to the study were not included in the episode. 

Cruelty concerns 

Malan and other cat welfare organisations and advocates were concerned that the general public would use the Carte Blanche episode “as an excuse to kill cats”. 

She said these fears “were well-founded… the response was immediate”. Within minutes of the episode being aired, threats to cats were posted on social media. 

A screenshot of a resident advocating for cat cruelty shortly after the Carte Blanche kitty cam episode aired on Sunday. Picture: Supplied

Translation: I hope you all had the privilege of watching Carte Blanche tonight about cats. If your cat comes into my yard and chases my birds, it will get shot. Over and done!

Dr Rob Simmons from UCT, Dr Colleen Seymour from SANBI, and Dr Koebraa Peters from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) said they were surprised that animal welfare activists “had such issues with our findings, given that the argument pitches cats being allowed to roam versus the actual lives of wildlife”.

They felt it was “highly unlikely” that cats would be harmed “just because of our study”, and that the study was merely seeking facts about cats and their impacts on wildlife. 

“Based on interviews with numerous cat owners, it seems highly likely that the welfare organisations are not speaking for the average owner, and instead represent the more extreme end of the spectrum of cat owners. 

“Importantly, they do not appear to care at all for the welfare of wildlife.”

Malan emphasised in her response that CoSA did not “advocate cat rights at the expense of those of other animals”. 

She said what was being disputed was “bad science, misinformation and erroneous perceptions – all of which were contained in the recent Carte Blanche story”. 

‘Issues’ with the study 

Malan argued that there were numerous blunders rendering the study flawed, such as it being “based on low response rates, a relatively small population size and cats that lived adjacent to a nature reserve”. 

She explained that cats who wore kitty-cams “were confirmed to be active hunters. Cats that don’t hunt or seldom hunt were not included in the study”. 

Simmons clarified that there were three sets of studies. 

The first, in summer, used 78 cats, 60% of which were hunters and 40% non-hunters. These cats were GPS-tracked. The winter study, which also used 70% hunting and 30% non-hunting cats, fitted GPS trackers to 27 cats. These studies helped determine an average predation rate for all cats. These covered 22 suburbs, and not just “cats living next to a nature reserve.”

In the last study, only hunting cats were used, and the results were not used to determine total predation. 

“Instead, we used what they didn’t bring home (4 out of 5 prey caught) to calculate the conversion factor (5.6) and the different proportions of reptiles, birds, mammals, etc., and applied that to the 105 cats from the other two studies.

“So the non-hunting cats were definitely included in our calculations. It would have been a schoolboy error to have only used hunting cats,” Simmons said.

CoSA also disputed the study’s conversion factor of 5.56. Malan explained that it was applied to all free-roaming pet cats in the city, regardless of their proximity to the TMNP. She said the conversion factor was also applied across all prey species, which “resulted in the bizarre situation of the findings of the study contradicting its own recorded figures”.

She also said the number of domestic cats assumed to be living in Cape Town “was… a complete guess.” The study estimated there to be around 300,000 domestic cats in the city. 

Regarding the species being hunted in areas such as TMNP, Malan said the three endemic species mentioned are not listed as threatened, that “only four specimens formed part of the prey count of 423 animals studied over 10 years”, and that the species are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as “locally/relatively common” in the concerned areas. 

She also said that there was “no obvious impact on the populations of the species included in the prey count”.

Researchers disputed Malan’s accusations, explaining that there was “cherry-picking” when it came to the status of endemic species. 

Simmons said it is clear that Malan did not understand their results, “or perhaps chose not to”.

They said the western leopard toad was listed as endangered, with a note from the International Union for Conservation of Nature that population declines within the last 20 years were significant. 

Western leopard toad (Amietophrynus pantherinus) at Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town. This endangered species only lives in the Western Cape Province. Picture: iStock/Zoological Consult & Research VOF

Researchers explained that a species could be locally common but remain endangered, especially when its global range was so small. 

“The fact that it has disappeared from urban areas is consistent with cats playing a role.” 

They explained that 1 in 423 killed seems like a small number, but to remember this must be applied to 300,000 cats and take into account that only 18% of prey caught was returned. 

“We have also not included feral cats into this equation, which hunt more frequently than owned cats.”

Researchers said their main concern was the continued loss of native wildlife, and that the aim of the study was to educate cat owners about the 82% of prey caught that was not dragged home by their pets. 

Simmons and his colleagues said they hoped cat owners would take steps to limit their pets’ time outdoors, to make use of enclosed patios, to attach collars with bells on, and to make sure their cats stayed indoors at night. 

“Many cats are killed by cars, and some by caracals, if you let your cat roam at night. 

“By [keeping them indoors] you can reduce the impact on wildlife, and quite possibly have better relations with your neighbours.” 

Malan voiced the same concluding thought, appealing for responsible cat ownership and for the protection of wildlife and the environment. 

“We would always encourage cat owners to cooperate with concerned neighbours or to find ways of preventing their cats from entering ecologically sensitive areas, should this be applicable.”

However, Malan said such decisions should be taken only if they are “based on actual fact, not on flawed figures and sensationalism”. 

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