An attempt was made, by means of a questionnaire to school children in Cardiff and Newport, and by consideration of the numbers of stray and unwanted cats dealt with annually by societies carrying out leathalization work, to obtain an approximate ratio of domestic cats to people in big cities; as a result the cats are estimated at a minimum as about 13% of the human population (roughly 10.5% house-kept cats, the remaining 2-3% strays). The data obtained from both towns indicate a distinct decline in the numbers of domestic cats kept on modern housing estates as compared with the older areas of towns.