New Holland mouse

Pseudomys novaehollandiae

Blamed on cats

IUCN status: Vulnerable

EPBC Predator Threat Rating: Not assessed

IUCN claim: “Domestic Cats (Felis catus) occur through entire range of this species, including Flinders Island. Cats are significant predators of native mice, but probably significantly affect subpopulations only when the habitat is open.”

Studies in support

No studies

Studies not in support

No studies

Is the threat claim evidence-based?

No studies were found linking cats to New Holland mice.

Evidence linking Pseudomys novaehollandiae to cats. Systematic review of evidence for an association between Pseudomys novaehollandiae and cats. Positive studies are in support of the hypothesis that cats contribute to the decline of Pseudomys novaehollandiae, negative studies are not in support. Predation studies include studies documenting hunting or scavenging; baiting studies are associations between poison baiting and threatened mammal abundance where information on predator abundance is not provided; population studies are associations between threatened mammal and predator abundance. Gold borders indicate studies that meet qualities of scientific rigour. See methods section in Wallach and Lundgren 2025 for details on evidence categories.
Evidence linking Pseudomys novaehollandiae to cats. Systematic review of evidence for an association between Pseudomys novaehollandiae and cats. Positive studies are in support of the hypothesis that cats contribute to the decline of Pseudomys novaehollandiae, negative studies are not in support. Predation studies include studies documenting hunting or scavenging; baiting studies are associations between poison baiting and threatened mammal abundance where information on predator abundance is not provided; population studies are associations between threatened mammal and predator abundance. Gold borders indicate studies that meet qualities of scientific rigour. See methods section in Wallach and Lundgren 2025 for details on evidence categories.

References

IUCN Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Accessed June 2023

Wallach A.D., Lundgren E.J. (2025) Review of evidence that foxes and cats cause extinctions of Australia’s endemic mammals. BioScience. DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaf046