In the United States free-range, stray, and feral felines are a well-established threat to bird
populations and are statistically estimated to kill over one billion birds annually (Milius, 2013;
Spector, 2014). The proposed project to establish a baseline knowledge of free-range and feral
cat populations has three (3) main objectives 1) Record populations of felines per household in six
(6) national target areas. Perform a visual survey of birds in three (3) of the areas and conduct
motion triggered camera census of the feral cat population in these bird habitats; 2) raise
awareness on how responsible pet ownership impacts bird biodiversity and what can be done to
mitigate feline predation and population increase; 3) Perform a pilot sterilization outreach clinic in
the location with the most suitable conditions (as determined by actuary assessment of quantitative
and qualitative benchmarks) with the objective of attaining a sterilization rate of 70% of the
population of felines in residential areas.

Palau serves is a habitat for 169 resident and migratory birds (Olsen & Eberdong, 2016).
Woods, McDonald, and Harris (2003) assert that the consensus among researchers is that oceanic
islands are the most vulnerable to extensive feline predation (p. 175). Cats, despite being
companion animals for humans, are an invasive terrestrial vertebrate and pose significant and
continued threats to biodiversity globally. Low range estimates on the free-range feline?s
dependency on birds as a source of food estimate that between 3.7% and 27% of a feline?s diet
is comprised of birds, high-end estimates project between 20% and 30% (Goldstein, O?Keefe, &
Bickel, 2003, p. 1). In order to establish empirically supported national protocols for creating the
infrastructure to ensure that birds, reptiles, and amphibians have access to habitats that are not
threatened by exponentially expanding and uncontrolled populations of felines a baseline census
is needed. Like any biodiversity project, the most important objective is to approach the problem
systematically in order to determine the scope of need within target areas and to look carefully
at how feline population growth impacts population resilience in birds. The reality is that the
estimated numbers of bird and mammal deaths in the United States for which cats are
responsible?2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion mammals annually (Peralta, 2013)?do not apply
to Palau and it is not clear what the local impact of felines is.