Animal ownership and attitudes to feral cats on St. Kitts, West Indies

ABSTRACT

Of fifty randomly selected residents of St. Kitts surveyed (22 questions), 42 percent owned dogs and 12 percent had cats. Most residents (54 percent) liked cats mainly because they were friendly and provided companionship, but also because they removed vermin. Thirty eight percent disliked cats principally because cats fouled the environment or damaged furniture. Although most people (48 percent) knew cats were associated with human diseases (mainly allergies and asthma), 38 percent were unsure. Most respondents (52 percent) observed feral cats around their homes and thr majority (73 percent) thought there were not too many feral cats on St. Kitts.