Population Dynamics and Predation by Free-Ranging Cats (Felis Catus) in a Brazilian University Campus: Implications for Urban Wildlife Management

Free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) are globally recognized as invasive predators that threaten biodiversity, particularly in urban and peri-urban landscapes. Despite their ubiquity, empirical assessments of their population dynamics and predation impacts in Brazil remain limited. We conducted a year-long study (January 2023–January 2024) on the “Soane Nazaré de Andrade” campus of Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, located within the Atlantic Forest biome. Weekly surveys documented 65 individual cats distributed in seven stable clusters, largely associated with food-rich and human-frequented areas. Fecal analysis (n = 23) revealed remains of bones (30.4%), hair (21.7%), claws (21.7%), feathers (13.0%), and plant material (39.1%), confirming predation on vertebrates and potential ingestion of anthropogenic items. Additionally, four direct predation events were recorded: three involving birds and one involving an insect. These findings demonstrate that free-ranging cats exert measurable predation pressure on local wildlife in a campus embedded within one of the world’s most threatened biodiversity hotspots. We argue that science-based management measures, including capture-neuter-return (CNR), regulation of feeding practices, environmental education, and biodiversity monitoring, are urgently needed. Our study contributes to filling critical knowledge gaps on cat–wildlife interactions in Brazilian urban green areas and reinforces the need for integrative conservation actions.