‘Find My Cat’: Using AirTags to Establish Home Ranges of Feral Cats on St. Kitts

Abstract

Feral cats occupy home ranges that vary in size based on many factors, primarily sex, cat population density, and landscape productivity. As part of a companion study assessing the abundance of feral cats on St. Kitts, we analyzed the feasibility of a lightweight, cost-effective method for tracking their movements. In this observational study, we aim to determine the effectiveness of using Apple AirTags to track movements of feral cats. Quick-release collars with AirTags attached were placed on cats trapped for trap-neuter-return (TNR) during surgery ‘spay’ days while they were still heavily sedated in recovery from anesthesia. The results yielded limited success due to inconsistent location updates, likely because of insufficient numbers of Apple devices within range for the AirTags to ‘ping’ off of, as well as the abilities of feral cats to disable the quick-release mechanism. However, despite the issues encountered, our estimates were consistent with existing data, suggesting that sex and reproductive status impact the home ranges of feral cats. Further efforts with this method should be conducted in a region with a higher density of Apple devices, as knowledge of feral cat home ranges could provide valuable insight for TNR advocates and planning of trapping events.