Species of special concern, present in Quebec.
Description
The domestic cat (or stray cat, alley cat, barn cat) is the sixth subspecies of Felis silvestris in the felidae family and includes more than sixty different breeds. In addition to breed, domestic cats are categorized according to their degree of dependence on humans. Thus, the domestic pet or house cat is the one who lives with its owner. On the other hand, the stray cat is independent of humans, but may occasionally benefit from the care provided by humans. A domestic cat can therefore become stray if it has escaped from its home, if it has been abandoned or if it was born of stray parents. Compared to the house cat, the stray cat is asocial with humans.
The cat's morphology and coat varies considerably depending on the breed. Some animals may be stocky or long, and coat coloring varies from white to black, cream, red and brown. The typical cat has a tiger or black spotted coat with shades of white on the chest and belly. The mass of the domestic cat can reach and exceed 5 kg if the animal is overfed. The stray cat generally weighs between 1.5 and 3 kg.
Similar species
With the exception of pedigree cats, the domestic cat closely resembles the five subspecies of wild cat found in Europe (F. silvestris silvestris), Southern Africa (F. silvestris cafra), Central Asia (F. silvestris onarta), the Near East (F. silvestris lybica) and the Tibetan plateau (F. silvestris bieti). In Quebec, the domestic cat is differentiated by its small size compared to that of the three native felid species, the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), the bobcat (Lynx rufus) and the cougar (Puma concolor).
Habitat
The domestic cat has colonized a wide variety of habitats because of its association with humans. It is obviously found in urban and peri-urban areas, but also in rural areas in agroforestry landscapes. The domestic cat can live in forests, fields and semi-arid deserts.
Reproduction
Unlike the five subspecies of wild cats, the domestic cat is polyestrian, meaning that females can be fertile several times a year (up to five). The gestation period lasts on average 65 days and the litter size varies from 4 to 6 kittens. Weaning of the young occurs after 8 weeks and the kittens become independent from their mother around the age of 6 months. The kittens reach sexual maturity at the age of 7 to 12 months. Once adult, males can disperse up to 3 km from their birthplace. The great reproductive potential and the capacity of dispersion of the domestic cat are at the origin of the increase of the populations observed in various places in the world.
Known distribution
The distribution of domestic pet cats and stray cats is worldwide. They are mainly found in all places where they can associate with humans, from the subantarctic islands to the boreal forest. The presence of the cat is favoured in regions where winters are not particularly cold and harsh.
Density of domestic cats, whether stray or not, varies according to the level of urbanity. In rural areas, cat densities are usually less than 5 individuals/km2, while they vary around 5 to 50 cats/km2 around farms. In cities, cat densities are usually above 50 cats/km2 and can even reach values around 300 cats/km2.
In the United States, 32% of households have at least one cat as a pet and between 9 and 22% of households care for free-roaming cats that do not belong to them. Therefore, it is estimated that there are 82.8 million domestic pet cats and between 25 and 60 million stray cats in the United States. In Quebec, 29% of households had a cat as a pet in 2008, compared to 23.2% in 1995. Knowing that owners have an average of 1.57 cats, it is possible to estimate the number of domestic cats in Quebec in 2008 at 1.45 million individuals. Note that this number does not take into account stray cats and cats in shelters or pet stores. There is very little data on the exact number of stray cats in Quebec. According to certain societies for the protection of animals (SPA) and societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCA), nearly 50% of the cats received annually are stray. In 2009, in the Quebec City, Mauricie, Estrie, and Saguenay regions, these organizations received 3785, 2689, 2457, and 592 stray cats respectively. To this number are added stray animals received in private pounds.