New Zealand Journal of Ecology (1986) 9: 71- 81

©New Zealand Ecological Society

Home Range of Feral House Cats (Felis catus) in Forest of the Orongorongo Valley, Wellington, New Zealand

Research Article
B. M. Fitzgerald  
B. J. Karl  
  1. Ecology Division, DSIR, Private Bag, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Abstract: 

The home ranges of four male and five female feral house cats (Felis catus) were studied by radio-telemetry. In the narrow, steep-sided valley the home ranges of cats were linear, with an average length of 6.34 km for males and 3.83 km for females; only large males crossed the river. Females with kittens had small home ranges of 0.84 to 2.0 km. Home ranges of animals of the same sex, including breeding females, overlapped considerably. The social organisation of feral cats at low density differs little from that of higher-density free— ranging domestic cats.

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