Tidemann, C. R. (1994). Do cats impact on wildlife?. In Urban animal management: proceedings of the third national conference on urban animal management in Australia. Australian Veterinary Association, Sydney.
Cats can have beneficial impacts on wildlife by stabilising numbers of rabbits and exotic rodents. They can also have adverse impacts, directly through predation and indirectly through the transmission of diseases. In many cases it is incorrect to single out cats as the sole factor responsible for declining wildlife populations, but the adverse impacts of cats may operate in concert with other factors, such as droughts, to finally push species into local or complete extinction. However, there is enough evidence available to indicate that a reduction in the numbers of free-ranging cats in urban areas would lead to a desirable increase in biodiversity in Australian cities. This statement, like any other to do with the management of complex ecosystems, needs to be viewed as a working hypothesis, requiring ongoing evaluation and subsequent modification as further information becomes available. Further information in this case could readily be collected by enlisting the aid of community groups to monitor the response of prey species to cat control programs.
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