Animal lovers who care about both cats and wildlife don't have to choose between them, suggests a new study published in the peer-reviewed open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Experts in population modeling, wildlife conservation and cat protection collaborated on the research, which has led to the development of guidelines to humanely reduce the numbers of free-roaming cats, thus reducing pressure on bird and other wildlife populations without euthanizing cats.

Accompanying resources include a guide to practical applications of study findings in managing free-roaming cat populations, as well as guidelines for determining and monitoring cat population numbers to assess the impact of various interventions. 

Read the complete study, available in full for free here.

Also of interest:

Study: How a neuter-return program reduced intake and euthanasia at a municipal shelter