Free-Ranging Cat Predation on Wildlife in East Asia: A Scoping Review of Ecological Evidence and Knowledge Gaps

Free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) interact with wildlife through predation and other ecological pathways, yet evidence of their associated effects has not been comprehensively synthesized in East Asia. This scoping review mapped empirical evidence on free-ranging cat predation and associated ecological effects in East Asia, characterized its geographic distribution and inferential strength, and identified knowledge gaps. Five databases, including region-specific databases, were searched through June 2026, and reference lists of included full-text sources were hand-searched. Of 9326 records identified, 31 sources met the inclusion criteria: 28 from the pre-specified East Asian region and 3 global or multinational sources with independently extractable East Asia-specific data. Diet- and carcass-based studies documented consumption of diverse wildlife taxa, whereas fewer evaluated prey abundance or other population-level outcomes. Reported predation estimates varied substantially among studies, reflecting differences in cat category, ecological setting, and methodology. Evidence was concentrated in Japan, with the clearest conservation concerns reported from Japanese island ecosystems involving endemic or IUCN-listed threatened species. Human-mediated factors and management practices were recurrent contextual themes; however, direct evidence linking these factors to wildlife outcomes was limited. Overall, the evidence base was geographically and methodologically uneven, underscoring the need for standardization, broader regional coverage, and improved documentation.