Lots of people assume that domestic cats and feral cats don't affect each other's group that much, but it seems to be wrong.
A new study shows that neutering domestic cats can significantly help in controlling feral cats population.
Here's how it works.
More about the research
A new math model about UK cats suggests that spaying or neutering pet cats doesn't just affect their own numbers but also impacts stray, feral, and shelter cat populations.
There are over ten million cats as pets in UK homes, with additional hundreds of thousands in shelters or as stray cats.
Cats can move between these groups.
The researchers created a math model considering all these cat groups, using real-world data for factors like birth rates, survival rates, and movements between groups.
They simulated scenarios to see how spaying or neutering, especially of owned female cats, affects the overall cat population.
Let's learn the results
The results showed that if fewer owned female cats are spayed, it causes a boom in other cat populations, especially strays.
Even with constant spaying rates, spaying female cats at a younger age can slow population growth.
Survival and fertility rates of owned cats had the most impact on overall cat population growth, with strays having the second-highest influence.
