Solutions-Based Approach to Urban Cat Management—Case Studies of a One Welfare Approach to Urban Cat Management

SIMPLE SUMMARY: When multiple urban free-roaming cats are being cared for by an owner or a cat caregiver, it often results in public complaints due to concerns about nuisance behaviors, their effect on wildlife, and human and pet health. The typical response from the authorities is to implement a cat management strategy based on trap–adopt or kill. Because the cats are often timid or shy, many are euthanized. This strategy is detrimental to the well-being of the people who care for urban cats, and is not effective at reducing the free-roaming cat population. This qualitative study aimed to explore the impacts of a free sterilization, microchipping, and vaccination program on the people who care for multiple urban free-roaming cats. Several main themes arose during the interviews. The results demonstrate the strong bond the participants had with the cats they cared for, and the positive impact the free sterilization program had on the cat carers’ well-being and quality of life. It is recommended that this care-centered approach be used instead of current lethal cat management strategies, to improve the well-being of people and cats, reduce the free-roaming cat population, and minimize public complaints and cat impoundments. ABSTRACT: Urban free-roaming cats create concern about their impacts on wildlife and human health, leading to the use of trap–adopt–kill methods to manage these populations. This method is ineffective at decreasing the free-roaming cat population and has a negative impact on cat caregivers’ well-being. Using semi-structured interviews, this study explored the relationship that semi-owners (people who feed cats but do not perceive ownership) and owners of multiple cats have with the cats they care for, and the social and psychological impacts of an alternative assistive-centered approach to urban cat management. This approach to semi-owned and owned cats provided free sterilization and preventative healthcare. Our findings demonstrate that the caregivers had a strong emotional bond with the cats they cared for. The caregivers also experienced a positive impact on their quality of life, and indicated an improvement in the cats’ welfare after having the cats sterilized through this program. Additionally, the cat caregivers indicated that they had a negative view of agencies, such as the municipal council. It is recommended that an assistive-centered approach to urban cat management be prioritized by local councils and welfare agencies to improve caregivers’ quality of life and psychological well-being, whilst also improving cat welfare. The implementation of this assistive-centered management approach could improve the relationship between communities and the agencies involved, leading to the continuous reporting of free-roaming cats for sterilization. This assistive-centered approach has the potential to reduce the free-roaming cat population, their effects on wildlife, nuisance complaints, and council impoundments, and is aligned with the One Welfare philosophy.