Secret life of the cat: What do our feline companions get up to?
Ever wondered what your cat spends its time doing when you're not around? Where do our purring pets go when they disappear through the cat flap? Armed with GPS tracking devices and micro-cameras, a team from 大象传媒 Two's Horizon programme in collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College set off to a Surrey village to find out. Discover more by selecting a cat character below.
Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main storyNotes: The 10 cats above are a selection of 50 studied in the Surrey Hills over a number of weeks. Researchers used GPS trackers to record the cats' movements over six 24-hour periods. Micro-cameras were attached to a selection of cats to film their activities. All equipment was checked by animal welfare experts to ensure it was the right size and weight for cats to wear safely. The maps of the routes of the 10 cats above are not all from the same 24-hour period or necessarily from the same day the cat cam footage was recorded. GPS tracking data was filtered to discard obvious false readings, however some smaller inaccuracies may remain. Time ticks over a 24-hour period and does not reflect the hour of the day.
With thanks to Alan Wilson of the Royal Veterinary College, Sarah Ellis of the University of Lincoln, John Bradshaw of Bristol University, and the villagers of Shamley Green
Web production: Steven Atherton, Chris Finch, Alex Ranken, Lucy Rodgers, Helene Sears, Marina Shchukina, Noah Veltman
Read more about the science and technology behind the study from Alan Wilson of the Royal Veterinary College.
Watch Horizon's Secret Life of the Cat on 大象传媒 Two on Thursday 13 June at 21:00 and afterwards on 大象传媒 iPlayer.
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What's the furthest from home your cat has roamed? Send us your cat travel stories using the form below.