Correction Factors for Important Prey Categories in the Diet of Domestic Cats

the diet of domestic cats. Acta theriol., 27, 9. 115—122 [With 3 Tables] Feeding experiments were carried out to estimate ratio between ingested amounts of prey, and undigested part of that same prey in faeces (=correction factors) of the domestic cat in Southern Sweden. It was found that only hair and feathers in faeces could be used to estimate such ratios. Variations in the ratios found were wide for large prey iike adult rabbits. To determine amount of prey eaten per cat and day, defecation rate was also determined. An equation for calculating daily intake of different prey animals was proposed. The correction factors were tested in the proposed equation on a sample of faeces f rom feral cats, that live almost entirely on natural prey. The computed value of daily intake of natural prey differed less than 15 % from the expected value, based on the theoretical daily energy requirement of the cats. It was therefore concluded that the test result supported the validity of the correction factors found in this study