2 Ha Plot Surveys can be used to monitor feral cats on Country. This is a method where trackers search a 2 Hectare (Ha) area for all signs of animals, including tracks, scats, diggings and other signs. If signs of a species are found in a plot, its presence is recorded. This method doesn’t usually focus on a single species as you can often record signs of many species. This survey doesn’t need specialised equipment, but it is useful to have some tracking skills, particularly when trying to identify challenging signs like diggings.

Signs of feral cats can be difficult to identify, but if you have the knowledge 2 Ha Plot Surveys can be a useful method.

When planning to do a 2 Ha Plot Survey:

• Feral cat tracks can be difficult to tell apart from European red foxes and feral dogs
• Feral cat scat can be hard to find because they often bury their scat
• 2 Ha Plot Surveys are most suitable for sandy Country, where tracks will easily show up

• Presence/absence - where feral cats live on Country
• Occupancy - if enough plots are surveyed, the presence/absence data can be used to estimate occupancy. This type of modelling helps to work how many areas really have Feral Cats, even if they weren’t detected at every plot. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be and if is getting smaller/bigger over time.
• Activity - how many signs of feral cats were detected during the survey. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be.
• Population size – if enough fresh scat can be collected and sent off for genetic analysis, the information can be used in a capture-recapture analysis to estimate how many feral cats live on Country.

You can learn more about 2 Ha Plot Surveys in the Environmental Monitoring Method 2 Ha Plot Surveys: Tracks, Scats, Diggings, and Signs.

Camera traps can be used to monitor feral cats. They can be set to automatically take photos or videos when an animal passes the camera. You can make your monitoring more efficient and cost effective by monitoring multiple species (including native and introduced species) with this method.

You will need to buy good quality remote cameras, but not much training is needed for deploying cameras or identifying species in the images. Images can also be processed first with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which can be useful when you have large numbers of images.

Cameras are the best way to monitor feral cats, because you can collect a lot of data over a large area, and because it’s easiest to identify cats from photos rather than from other methods like signs survey (scats, tracks) or from spotlighting surveys.

When planning to do a camera survey:

• Feral cats use lots of different habitat types, so make sure the cameras are spread across all of the different major habitat types found on Country. If possible, have replicates in each habitat type.
• Use cameras in areas suitable for camera trapping i.e. open enough to take photos, or along trails, good access
• Avoid putting cameras in areas prone to flooding or becoming seasonally inaccessible, or make sure you collect cameras before it becomes inaccessible
• Feral cats are generally nocturnal but can be active at all times of day.
• Feral cats have a medium-sized body, so should easily trigger the camera sensors.
• Whenever possible, proof image classifications (including images with “nothing” in them), especially when using AI.
• If the cameras are lured, use a meat or fish-based lure like tuna oil, tinned cat food or chicken necks. Make sure the lure is in the field of view of the camera.
• Most camera surveys targeting feral cats have the cameras:
  • Along tracks, roads, trails created by animals or other linear features like dry river beds. You may not want to put cameras along publicly accessible roads to avoid cameras being stolen.
  • Facing towards the south and angled across the road/track trail (not at a right angle, often at a 23˚angle)
  • Aimed toward the middle of the road/track/trail (about 4.5cm away) from about 50 cm above the ground
  • Deployed for at least 30 days
  • At least 30 sites, spaced between 1 to 2 km apart

• Where feral cats live:
  • Occupancy - the proportion of sites occupied by a species
  • Changes over time - are species being detected at the same sites every year, or are they disappearing from some and/or appearing at other sites?
  • Habitat preferences - does the species only occur in particular habitats?
• Detection frequency - how often are they being detected in an area?
• Behaviour - what they are doing in the photos
• Activity - you can know when they are active or passing through areas. This can also be used as an indicator of how large the population might be
• You can collect data from seeing feral cats in an image. You might be able to identify their age, sex, group size, health (skinny or fat) etc
• Population size - if feral cats detected on cameras can be individually identified, the information can be used in a capture-recapture analysis to estimate how many feral cats live on Country

You can learn more about Camera Traps in the Environmental Monitoring Method Landscape Scale Camera Traps.