Gramza, A., Teel, T., VandeWoude, S., & Crooks, K. (2016). Understanding public perceptions of risk regarding outdoor pet cats to inform conservation action. Conservation Biology, 30 (2): 276–286
Free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) incur and impose risks on ecosystems and represent a complex issue of critical importance to biodiversity conservation and cat and human health globally. Prior social science research on this topic is limited and has emphasized feral cats even though owned cats often comprise a large proportion of the outdoor cat population, particularly in urban areas. To address this gap, we examined public risk perceptions and attitudes toward outdoor pet cats across varying levels of urbanization, including along the wildland-urban interface, in Colorado, USA. An analysis of 1397 completed surveys showed that residents did not view all types of risks uniformly; they viewed risks of cat predation on wildlife and carnivore predation on cats as more likely than risks of disease transmission to and from wildlife. Additionally, risk perceptions were related to attitudes, prior experiences with cats and cat-wildlife interactions, and cat owner behavior. Findings suggest that changes in risk perceptions may result in behavior change, and they offer insight for communication aimed at promoting risk aversive behaviors and cat management strategies that are acceptable to the public and that directly advance the conservation of native species.
Free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) incur and impose risks on ecosystems and represent a complex issue of critical importance to biodiversity conservation and cat and human health globally. Prior social science research on this topic is limited and has emphasized feral cats even though owned cats often comprise a large proportion of the outdoor cat population, particularly in urban areas. To address this gap, we examined public risk perceptions and attitudes toward outdoor pet cats across varying levels of urbanization, including along the wildland-urban interface, in Colorado, USA. An analysis of 1397 completed surveys showed that residents did not view all types of risks uniformly; they viewed risks of cat predation on wildlife and carnivore predation on cats as more likely than risks of disease transmission to and from wildlife. Additionally, risk perceptions were related to attitudes, prior experiences with cats and cat-wildlife interactions, and cat owner behavior. Findings suggest that changes in risk perceptions may result in behavior change, and they offer insight for communication aimed at promoting risk aversive behaviors and cat management strategies that are acceptable to the public and that directly advance the conservation of native species.
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