Landscape of Fear: How Cats and Dogs Suppress Rodent Pests in Selected Households in Ilorin, Nigeria

Rodents are major household pests that threaten food security, human health, and infrastructure in many urban and peri-urban communities. Reliance on chemical rodenticides is problematic due to environmental contamination, resistance, and risks to non-target species, underscoring the need for sustainable alternatives. This study applied the landscape of fear (LOF) framework to test whether domestic predators: cats (Felis catus) and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), reduce rodent pests in households within Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Between March and June 2025, 110 households were surveyed and assigned to four predator categories: no predator (n = 24), dog present (n = 35), cat present (n = 49), and both cats and dogs present (n = 2). Sherman live traps were set for three consecutive nights per household, yielding 39 small mammals: Mus spp. (79.5%), Crocidura spp. (15.4%), and Rattus spp. (5.1%). There was a significant association between predator type (excluding the rare category with both predators) and capture outcome (≥1 vs. 0), df =2, χ² = 62.43, p < 0.001, with a large effect size (Cramér’s V = 0.76). Capture rate was highest in predator-free households (96%) and lowest in cat households (2%), while dog households showed intermediate rates (43%). Species distributions were dominated by Mus spp., with Crocidura spp. restricted to predator-free households and Rattus spp. rare across all sites. These findings demonstrate that domestic predators, particularly cats, generate strong landscapes of fear that suppress rodent activity.