| Summary: | Domestic cats, especially strays, are a complex global issue involving sanitary dimensions within the context of One Health, as well as ethical and moral dilemmas. Urbanization and the reproductive cycle of the species contribute to the exponential increase in their population. Cats negatively impact wildlife and are one of the main threats to native species, in addition to causing ecological impacts. The aim of this study was to estimate the number of cats on Campus I of the Federal University of Paraíba, to map their occurrences, and to assess their potential impact on the wildlife found within the 44.39 hectares of native Atlantic Forest across 10 remnants. The feline population was estimated through distance sampling along 4.5 km of linear transects, repeated three times in 2022, and feeding points were georeferenced in 2023. To verify the co-occurrence of domestic cats and native fauna in the Atlantic Forest fragments, camera traps were installed, with a sampling effort of 322 trap-nights in the center and edges of the fragments. The feline population estimate was 422±25 individuals, with a detection probability of 0.31. The estimated densities across the entire Campus I (T) and excluding forested areas (SM) were 3.9 cats/ha (T) and 6.63 cats/ha (SM) respectively. Previous surveys estimated 397 cats in 2018 by direct census and 425±41 in 2019/2020 using the same methodology but with five replicates, suggesting a 5.9% population increase. The spatial distribution of cats was not homogeneous but clustered in the western half and near the main entrance. The cat density in this study is much higher compared to other studies, indicating that urgent measures are needed to control abandonment and the cat population. The camera traps recorded 156 individualized captures, with a capture success rate of 48.44%. The average number of captures per fragment was 15 (standard deviation = 14.77). Fragment IX, covering 2.93 ha, had the highest number of captures with 45, mostly Rattus rattus. Didelphis albiventris was the ...
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