0:00:02 > 0:00:04We are Dr Chris and Dr Xand van Tulleken.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06And we're tracking down the most awesome, incredible
0:00:06 > 0:00:12and epic things in the universe!
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Come with us and discover unbelievable things
0:00:23 > 0:00:27that will blow your mind!
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Blow Your Mind will be bringing you all the top experts
0:00:32 > 0:00:35in unbelievable stuff, from icebergs to elephants,
0:00:35 > 0:00:41spaceships to sharks, and this week it's all about amazing animals.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45So, hold on to your brains. Here's what's coming up.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Today, we're following 50 cats in one small village.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52And later, we'll catch some real-life cat burglars when we discover
0:00:52 > 0:00:56who's been sneaking into other people's houses and stealing food.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03- Wake up!- Ho-ho, what's going on? I'm having a catnap!
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- Oh, Chris, that's a terrible cat joke.- No, I'm serious.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10I've been looking at the cats. They sleep about 14 hours a day.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12I only get seven or eight. So I'm just catching up!
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Probably why you haven't caught any mice.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16But you want to be awake for this.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Cats have learned how to avoid a fight when they're out and about.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21Take a look at this.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26This is Phoebe. She's been living here for six years.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32And this is Kato. He's been here even longer.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37His owner wants to find out why the two cats have become
0:01:37 > 0:01:38permanent enemies.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41He's got enemies across the road.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43And do you know who that is?
0:01:43 > 0:01:44- Phoebe.- OK, Phoebe.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Scientist Sarah thinks she may have some answers
0:01:48 > 0:01:50from Kato's 24-hour GPS data.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Yeah, yeah.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56And if you look up here, you can
0:01:56 > 0:01:58see what time of day it occurred.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00And when you put Phoebe's trace on the screen,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03you get a snapshot of her daily routine.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05And this is Phoebe, in the green.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Huge amount of overlap in the space that they use.
0:02:09 > 0:02:10Yes, there is, isn't there?
0:02:10 > 0:02:13So they may well be fighting for the same space.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Out there, they never come across each other.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20But cats like their own space. These two cats are on top of each other.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24No wonder they're stressed. But they don't seem to be fighting much.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25So what's going on?
0:02:32 > 0:02:35At 11:50pm, Kato heads out on his night patrol.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39He stays mostly around the cul-de-sac
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and takes a trip into the local woods.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49He comes back around dawn. An uneventful night without any fights.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52And that's because Phoebe hasn't left her home all night.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58Because, at 7:45 in the morning, Phoebe heads out on her patrol.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16And Kato, well, he's at home watching nervously.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22So it seems like Kato and Phoebe are avoiding each other
0:03:22 > 0:03:24so they don't get into a fight. That's clever.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Well, it certainly seems that way, but remember,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30all the cats are wearing their GPS trackers and the cat cameras.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33So let's head down to Cat HQ to have a look at the results.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37A closer look at the results shows that even though the two cats
0:03:37 > 0:03:41are sharing the same space, it's not at the same time.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46Kato's out a lot sort of late in the night here
0:03:46 > 0:03:48and a few short forays in the morning.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51And Phoebe's active during the day and mainly after lunch
0:03:51 > 0:03:55and in that period here. Not much overlap in when they're outside.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58So when one was active outside, the other wasn't.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02- So we think what they are doing is...- They are avoiding each other.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03Using a shift system.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06And the occasional time when it doesn't work,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08- that's when they're getting in a fight. Yes.- Right, OK.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11So it's nice to know that they have got this shift system
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- and they are managing themselves. - Yes.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17And it's not just Kato and Phoebe that are doing this.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Other cats like Billy and Molly are managing shifts as well.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Interesting. Molly's out at one or two o'clock in the morning,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28with a lot of activity here in the early morning when Billy wasn't out.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30One's going in, one's going out.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34And Claude and Thomas seem to have a similar arrangement.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38When Claude comes over into the area of Thomas,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Thomas is much further over.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43They're not in the same place at the same time.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45They may time-share that area.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49This cat timetable seems to be happening all over the village.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And here's how they're doing it.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56When they rub their cheeks, small chemical signals
0:04:56 > 0:04:58and scents are given off.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04And similarly, from their paws when they scratch.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Leaving these chemical signals marks out who was where, and at what time,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13so that other cats know
0:05:13 > 0:05:16when to stay away from these places to avoid trouble.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18So that's incredible.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Cats actually put a scent at a particular location to say
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- that they've been there and what time they'll be back.- Yes.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27It's like leaving a chemical sticky note so,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30if I wanted to play the computer tomorrow at a certain time,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32I'd just leave you a note like this.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34And that just tells you that you shouldn't bother trying to
0:05:34 > 0:05:37play the computer at five o'clock tomorrow unless you want a fight.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40That's fabulous. That could be the answer to world peace.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Or it might stop us fighting over the computer.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Well, it could be, except that cats do sometimes break the rules
0:05:45 > 0:05:47and venture behind enemy lines.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Just look at this.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53When the researchers turned on Coco's GPS collar,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56they found that she was in this house.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And it's not hers!
0:06:01 > 0:06:03On Tuesday, here's Chip.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07And he's entering a neighbouring house.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13And a day later, here's Claude doing the same.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18It's only when surveillance cameras are installed
0:06:18 > 0:06:21by the cat flaps that we see exactly what's going on.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Rosie has her evening meal.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30And then half an hour later, when she is out of the way, her neighbour
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Claude boldly enters her home and helps himself to the leftovers!
0:06:36 > 0:06:40At 3pm the next day, he's at it again! Greedy guts!
0:06:41 > 0:06:43And it won't be the last time.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48It's a bit of a surprise to Claude's owner.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Three minutes of scoffing in Rosie's house, non-stop.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55We've watched this video several times
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and he doesn't spend much time lifting his head, looking around.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Worrying about anything. He's at home.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02- He's at home.- This is normal.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05I feel that he's confidently doing this.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08And so, probably, he's done this more than once,
0:07:08 > 0:07:09this may be routine for him.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13- Oh, dear.- So, yes, midnight snacking is definitely
0:07:13 > 0:07:14happening in Claude's life.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18Greedy guts!
0:07:20 > 0:07:23One of the things that I've been surprised by has been just
0:07:23 > 0:07:26how many cats have been going into other people's houses.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28I mean, I'm not sure how many of those
0:07:28 > 0:07:31people are aware that those cats are coming in,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33but one of the main reasons they come in will be to get food.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36They'll be stealing food from other cats, essentially.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39And I think you can almost balance that off against the rather
0:07:39 > 0:07:41small numbers of prey that we've seen this week.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Some of that may be down to the weather
0:07:43 > 0:07:46but I think a lot of it is, these cats are getting a varied diet
0:07:46 > 0:07:47by raiding other people's houses.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50They don't need to go out and kill things.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52These days, because cat food is easily available
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and provides cats with all their necessary nutrients,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59this could be leading to the cats hunting other small animals less,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01because they don't need to.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Maybe what we are witnessing here is cats
0:08:04 > 0:08:07changing their behaviour as we change the environment they live in.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11So cats don't hunt for their food,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14they just break into other people's houses and steal other cats' food.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15That's pretty clever.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Yeah, and it has a lot to do with the fact that cats have evolved
0:08:18 > 0:08:21to live alongside us, so they don't need to hunt or fight each other.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24But they've got to be careful of eating too many dinners,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26or else they'll become real fat cats!
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- Do you want to hear another cat-based joke?- No!
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- What happened to the cat that ate a ball of wool?- I don't care.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35It gave birth to a litter of mittens.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36Woolly... Mittens.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41I'd like to officially apologise for my brother's bad sense of humour,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43but the amazing stuff coming up next
0:08:43 > 0:08:45is going to be a lot better than his jokes.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50The undercover cat watch is coming to an end.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56- Lily and Pickle are your Bengals, is that right?- Yes.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59The scientists are starting to see ways that the cats have
0:08:59 > 0:09:02changed their behaviour to accommodate living with humans
0:09:02 > 0:09:04and also next door to other cats.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The cats seem to have created tightly-packed
0:09:08 > 0:09:10territories that they each defend.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Claude came up here, really close to where Thomas has been.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23And they've worked out an impressive time-sharing cat timetable
0:09:23 > 0:09:24to avoid fighting.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28And they seem to be hunting less
0:09:28 > 0:09:32and stealing each other's food behind their backs, more.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33Clever kitties!
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Time out. I get the sticky notes. I get the time-sharing.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I get the stealing of the food.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43But I think there are going to be a lot of kids at home watching
0:09:43 > 0:09:46the television, screaming at the screen and going,
0:09:46 > 0:09:51"But I have more than one cat living under the same roof,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55"eating the same food, at the same time!
0:09:55 > 0:09:57"How does that work, Mr Smarty-pants?!"
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Well, for anyone who is at home asking that question in that way,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05the village has one more surprise in store for you.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06This is the Edwards' house.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10And they have not one, not two, not three,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14four or five, but SIX unrelated cats all living together.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Meet Duffy.
0:10:17 > 0:10:18Patch.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Daisy.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22Coco.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23Pumpkin.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24And Ralph.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29They seem a pretty happy lot.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32And even though we know that cats like their own space,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35they do seem to get on pretty well together at home.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40No-one's quite sure what happens beyond the cat flap.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46- Yellow's Daisy, what colour's Pumpkin?- Pumpkin's pink. Coco's red.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52So, while Patch roams the local neighbourhood,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Duffy, Daisy, Coco, Pumpkin and Ralph are all out
0:10:55 > 0:10:58at the same time and sticking very close together.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00Which is a genuine surprise.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Cats are actually really interesting.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Down in the village, we've got lots of reports of hostility,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11including fights.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14And in a multi-cat household, which you have,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17you are our largest number in our study, with six cats,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19we would expect there to be quite a bit of tension,
0:11:19 > 0:11:25or quite a bit of using different space outside.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26What's really,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29really unusual is, we don't see that with your cats at all.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32And apart from Patch, who is the blue,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and he does have a further range,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37he does go much further than the others, they're very, very much
0:11:37 > 0:11:41centred around your home, around your garden,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and the really interesting thing is,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46they're all there at the same time, yeah.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- Fantastic.- None of them are moving particularly quickly.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52They're all just bumbling around together, really.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59That, for us, is fascinating because a whole group of unrelated cats,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02we just wouldn't necessarily expect that at all.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06Out of all the lot we've had,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08these have been the ones that have gelled the most.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Yes, especially the boys, always we see them playing together.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14They lie together.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Pumpkin and Ralph lie on top of each other, not just next to each other.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21So it's so cute, the way they get on so well together.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Do you ever see them rubbing their faces against each other?
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Yes, and Pumpkin and Ralph spend a lot of time grooming each other.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37These cat friendships suggest that the cats may be evolving.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43They're becoming much more tolerant of other cats,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46so they're able to survive well as part of a group
0:12:47 > 0:12:51to fit in better with the way they live in human houses.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55So, cats aren't just super-cute, they're super-smart as well.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And all those cameras and gadgets have shown us how cats are changing.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Yeah, they're becoming less wild and less individual
0:13:01 > 0:13:04and more sociable, especially with the other cats they live with.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05Isn't that nice?
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Makes me want to PAWS for thought!
0:13:08 > 0:13:11No, Chris, there's no time for PAWS-ing,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13because the epic awesomeness doesn't end here.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Next time, we meet the Einstein of the ocean, the dolphin.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19They can talk, they can find a snack,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- and they can see without using their eyes.- What?!
0:13:22 > 0:13:24So join us next time to Blow Your Mind!