Domestic cat preys reported by volunteers within the project Feral Cats

[Description of methods used for collection/generation of data] A citizen science questionnaire was created in the framework of Feral Cats Project in order to collect data on species captured by domestic cats. The project and a link to the questionnaire were advertised several times through online social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), mailing lists and Whatsapp groups and contacts. Volunteers were asked to attach pictures or videos about preys brought home by their own cats or to report occasional predation events performed by unowned cats such as cats living in a colony (either managed or not) or cats with unknown origin. The questionnaire was launched in autumn 2021 and kept open until the end of summer 2023. Although some volunteers reported a predation event without attaching a picture or a video, this dataset only includes those events with supporting files.

[Methods for processing the data] Fake pictures or non-related pictures such as playing kittens, pictures with no apparent prey on it or selfies, were discarded as valid predation events. Valid events from other countries or Spanish regions outside Iberian Peninsula, were also discarded for not being of interest for the project. In addition, those events reporting species whose distributions are not present in Spain, were also discarded. Remaining pictures were identified to the most specific taxonomic level possible.

[EN] This dataset contains 177 images and 8 videos corresponding to 125 preys captured by domestic cats, sent by volunteers through the questionnaire launched by the Feral Cats project (SUMHAL-WP4) with the aim of studying the full range of species that domestic cats with outdoor access can predate using a citizen science approach. The questionnaire was launched in autumn 2021 and remained open until the end of summer 2023. The reported observations could be of three types: prey brought home and reported by the cat owner, capture events carried out by cats belonging to a colony, or isolated predation events where the context or conditions in which the cat lived were unknown.

[ES] Este conjunto de datos contiene 177 imágenes y 8 videos correspondientes a 125 presas capturadas por gatos domésticos, enviadas por voluntarios a través del cuestionario lanzado desde el proyecto Feral Cats (SUMHAL-WP4) con el objetivo de estudiar toda la variedad de especies sobre las que pueden llegar a depredar los gatos domésticos con acceso al exterior, mediante el uso de ciencia ciudadana. El cuestionario se habilitó en otoño de 2021 y se mantuvo abierto hasta finales del verano de 2023. Las observaciones reportadas podían ser de tres tipos: presas traídas a casa y reportadas por el dueño del gato, eventos de captura realizados por gatos pertenecientes a una colonia o eventos de depredación puntuales en el que se desconocía el contexto o las condiciones en las que vivía el gato.

This study was funded by MICINN through the European Regional Development Fund [SUMHAL, LIFEWATCH-2019-09-CSIC-04, POPE 2014-2020].

The Dataset compiles 177 pictures and 8 videos showing different kind of preys captured, eaten or brought home by free-ranging domestic cats. All pictures and videos were sent by citizen volunteers throughout a questionnaire prepared for Feral Cats Project (SUMHAL-WP4). Each file name is unique and contains information about the image/video content. For example: The file EBD_CSIC_WP4_FERALCATS_Captures_23_species_Fringilla_coelebs (1).jpg is a capture with a unique entry code (23), the taxon level reached in the identification of the prey (species), the scientific name of the taxon reached (Fringilla_coelebs) and a number (1) indicating if there is more than one file showing the same prey. The dataset is structured in two .zip files, one containing the pictures and one containing the video files.

Peer reviewed