TY - JOUR

T1 - Popular press portrayal of issues surrounding free-roaming domestic cats Felis catus

AU - Gow, Elizabeth

AU - Burant, Joseph

AU - Sutton, A.O.

AU - Freeman, Nikole E

AU - Grahame, Elora

AU - Fuirst, Matthew

AU - Sorensen, Marjorie C.

AU - Knight, Samantha

AU - Clyde, Hannah

AU - Quarrell, Nathaniel

AU - Wilcox, Alannah

AU - Chicalo, Roxan

AU - Van Drunnen, Stephan

AU - Shiffman, David S.

PY - 2022/2/1

Y1 - 2022/2/1

N2 - 1. Domestic cats Felis catus have a complex and contentious history. They fill multi-ple societal roles (e.g. as pest controllers and companion animals), which has ledto a variety of animal welfare, conservation, and human health concerns. Popularpress articles play an important role in how people learn about key issues sur-rounding cats, but they may present some issues more frequently than otherissues.2. We conducted a global media content analysis of 796 articles in the English-language media from 1990 to 2018 on issues related to free-roaming cats, suchas their environmental impacts, the threats and welfare issues cats face, and howthey are managed. We aimed to determine whether non-experts learning aboutthe issues around free-roaming cats exclusively from the popular press would beexposed to multiple stakeholder views or opinions.3. Over 95% of articles analysed were from North America. Most of the people in-terviewed in the popular press were from non-governmental organizations, mainlyfrom cat welfare or cat rights groups (which are often focused on only one side ofthe issue). Researchers, shelter organizations, veterinarians, and groups that havedifferent opinions than cat rights or welfare organizations on how to resolve is-sues surrounding free-roaming cats were rarely interviewed by the popular press.Most articles focused on cat welfare issues and the management strategies of eu-thanasia or trap–neuter–release (TNR), whereas less than one-third of the articlesacknowledged that cats have any impact on wildlife or the broader environment.4. We found that the popular press often presented an oversimplified picture ofissues related to free-roaming cats and provided unbalanced coverage. We alsoshow evidence of framing by the popular press, including mainly presenting the viewpoints and perspectives from animal welfare and rights groups, focusing onTNR or euthanasia as the only viable cat management strategies when many al-ternatives exist and often have greater support from experts, and discussing theimpacts of cats on birds and small mammals but not reptiles or amphibians.

AB - 1. Domestic cats Felis catus have a complex and contentious history. They fill multi-ple societal roles (e.g. as pest controllers and companion animals), which has ledto a variety of animal welfare, conservation, and human health concerns. Popularpress articles play an important role in how people learn about key issues sur-rounding cats, but they may present some issues more frequently than otherissues.2. We conducted a global media content analysis of 796 articles in the English-language media from 1990 to 2018 on issues related to free-roaming cats, suchas their environmental impacts, the threats and welfare issues cats face, and howthey are managed. We aimed to determine whether non-experts learning aboutthe issues around free-roaming cats exclusively from the popular press would beexposed to multiple stakeholder views or opinions.3. Over 95% of articles analysed were from North America. Most of the people in-terviewed in the popular press were from non-governmental organizations, mainlyfrom cat welfare or cat rights groups (which are often focused on only one side ofthe issue). Researchers, shelter organizations, veterinarians, and groups that havedifferent opinions than cat rights or welfare organizations on how to resolve is-sues surrounding free-roaming cats were rarely interviewed by the popular press.Most articles focused on cat welfare issues and the management strategies of eu-thanasia or trap–neuter–release (TNR), whereas less than one-third of the articlesacknowledged that cats have any impact on wildlife or the broader environment.4. We found that the popular press often presented an oversimplified picture ofissues related to free-roaming cats and provided unbalanced coverage. We alsoshow evidence of framing by the popular press, including mainly presenting the viewpoints and perspectives from animal welfare and rights groups, focusing onTNR or euthanasia as the only viable cat management strategies when many al-ternatives exist and often have greater support from experts, and discussing theimpacts of cats on birds and small mammals but not reptiles or amphibians.

U2 - 10.1002/pan3.10269

DO - 10.1002/pan3.10269

M3 - Article

VL - 4

SP - 143

EP - 154

JO - People and Nature

JF - People and Nature

SN - 2575-8314

IS - 1

ER -