Ecology of feral cats (Felis catus) at a refuse dump in coastal southern Victoria, Australia

The ecology and behaviour of a colony of feral cats was studied at a refuse dump at Anglesea, Victoria. Research found that the cats lived at the dump all year round, congregating on the exposed refuse at night. Here they fed mainly on meat scraps, supplementing their diet with local wildlife. Aggression between individual cats was rare, allowing them to live as a colony, rather than as solitary individuals. Although female cats were fecund, breeding success was low, preventing a steady increase in the population. No justification for controlling these cats could be found at this time.