Scientific studies on wild cats in Brazil

Abstract

Cats have been living with humans for a long time and this relationship has been getting closer and closer, however many behavioral problems are the result of failures in assessing a cat's real needs and environmental conditions. These problems are the main cause of abandonment, taking animals from the streets to euthanasia. In urban environments, the presence of feral animals has become a major public health concern because of feral cats, only a small portion is vaccinated or has a responsible guardian. The present study aimed to analyze scientific publications and profile the studies done in Brazil on the theme of “feral cats”. Data were collected from surveys of scientific studies (articles, books, monographs, dissertations and theses) made digitally available on search and research sites, being Google Academic, Scielo, PubVet, PubMed. We found 58 published scientific studies, from 2002 to 2019, of which 28 are related to diseases and zoonoses, 20 related to predation and environmental impact and 10 to animal behavior. Publications on the topic began in 2002, peaking in 2015, and the southeastern region of the country was where the largest number of studies is concentrated. It is concluded that studies on the subject are lacking, requiring further research to evaluate the behavior of feral cats.