0:00:03 > 0:00:05Beloved companion...
0:00:05 > 0:00:07They are like my children.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10The word I always use is love, you know they just love you.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13..garden tormentor...
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Fresh vomit doesn't smell very nice.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18There it is!
0:00:18 > 0:00:20..petting and purring...
0:00:20 > 0:00:22It's definitely a maternal thing.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27..prowling and fouling...
0:00:29 > 0:00:32..nuzzling and cuddling...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35..leaping and killing...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Cats are a major problem.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40..Britain's 10 million cats divide the nation.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44It becomes a war. It's who can win.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47If they start trying to shoot them or kill 'em,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49then I'll report them to the RSPCA.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Meet the cat feeders...
0:00:50 > 0:00:54They're looking at my kitchen... I'm sorry I'll have to feed them.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56..and the cat feuders...
0:00:56 > 0:00:58I think they're a danger to life.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00I'm a cat lover and I don't care.
0:01:00 > 0:01:01Oh, dear.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14One in five of us own a cat.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18There are those for whom one can never be enough.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25Silvana - one husband, two children 50 cats.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29My husband just says I'm a runaway train. I'm out of control.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31This is Kitten and this is Bruno.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34We've got blind Little Boy here.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Oh!
0:01:37 > 0:01:40The sweetness, the softness, the purring.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42The unconditional love they can give you.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44I think that is really what attracted me.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47They are not aggressive, they're not frightening, they're just
0:01:47 > 0:01:51wonderful companions. They're just always there for you.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53You can almost read their minds.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55When they're depressed, you feel their depression,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59when they're happy, you feel their happiness.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03It's a feeling that they give you when you are holding them close and feeding them,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05it's definitely a maternal thing.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07They just love you - unconditionally.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14A passion for felis silvestris catus can get you a bit of a reputation.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18What's this? I think people at work call me the mad cat woman.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22I think cats get a bad name because people are ignorant.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26You're not lonely when you've got a cat.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I have no children, they are like my children.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31They've got their stroller which they go out in
0:02:31 > 0:02:32during the nice weather.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35And this is where I get the strange looks.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50For some, cats are a love and a livelihood.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54The cat has increased massively in popularity.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57In the Western world, it is now said that they are numerically
0:02:57 > 0:02:59the most popular companion animals.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02One of the things when we share our lives with other species,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06particularly with the cat, is that we have to have mutual respect.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10And cats do roam, they do hunt, they have predatory behaviour,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12they mark their territory.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Those behaviours are normal, they are natural behaviours
0:03:15 > 0:03:17and that is part of being a cat.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19One thing people rarely have
0:03:19 > 0:03:22is an ambivalent attitude towards a cat.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24They either love them or they hate them.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25It's a bit like Marmite.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30You don't have to look so very far
0:03:30 > 0:03:33to find the other side of the Marmite equation.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36This is an idyll under siege
0:03:36 > 0:03:39and this is a gardener driven to distraction.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Joe's garden is his pride and joy.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46But he's not the only one drawn to its pleasures.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Well, we have at least four cats - four regular cats -
0:03:49 > 0:03:51that plague me.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56There is a ginger one. There is a black one. There is a strange
0:03:56 > 0:03:58object with long woolly hair -
0:03:58 > 0:04:00difficult to describe the colour.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02We see the wretched things every day.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04None of them like me.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07When they see me, they run for their lives.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12They come in to do their business and prey on the birdlife of course.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17Quite apart from that, of course, they catch small mammals as well.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Mice and voles in particular.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23They just enjoy killing things.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27A constant concern when the grandchildren come
0:04:27 > 0:04:32and want to play in the garden lest they pick up toxoplasmosis
0:04:32 > 0:04:35from them, because they defecate all over the place.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Is it fair to say you're not a cat's biggest fan?
0:04:37 > 0:04:39That's an understatement of the year.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43I'll show you where the cats do their business.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I'm too afraid to go in there and look.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49For some reason this is a favourite place.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Disgusting!
0:04:56 > 0:05:01Now, if I had been unfortunate enough to not see that and stood on it
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and went inside the house...
0:05:05 > 0:05:09The result would have been disgusting.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Cats are perverse, they're a law unto themselves!
0:05:14 > 0:05:18I honestly hate the wretched things.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Joe's not alone in his detestation.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25But help is on its way.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Stand by for developments.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34It's not only the gardeners. It's also the twitchers.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39David and Glenna have made their garden into a birdwatcher's paradise.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Lots of chaffinches, lots of goldfinches,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45lots of greenfinches, not so many siskins this year, only a few.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49They are like greenfinches but a bit smaller.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52A good variety of garden birds that visit us,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55which we feed and enjoy watching,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58and also the cats enjoy watching them.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01There are at least ten regular visitors to the garden -
0:06:01 > 0:06:05each one with a hungry glint in its green eyes.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08You often find a pile of feathers,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11an odd bird leg up the garden or something that they've finished off.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16Or open the door and find two birds' feet on the doorstep.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18The rest of the bird has been eaten.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23Every day they will catch one. 10 years - 3,600 birds.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Must be. Getting on that way.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30They've done what they can to ward off the predators.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35They wander round and one particular one underneath
0:06:35 > 0:06:36the main bird feeder which
0:06:36 > 0:06:40we've got about six feet off the ground so the cats can't get it.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44But you underestimate the domestic cat at your peril.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Set up 24 hour cameras in the garden
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and you start to realise its abilities as a predator.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57The feeder is six times the cat's length above ground.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04It's an astonishing leap from a standing start -
0:07:04 > 0:07:07equivalent to you or I jumping 30-odd feet in the air.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12And it's a brutal end for the bird caught in the hunter's jaws.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Somebody said there are about 11 million cats in Britain,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19I don't know if that's true. It is not a natural situation to
0:07:19 > 0:07:22have 11 million animals running around killing things.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27If you want an idea of the scale of the carnage,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30call in at any wildlife sanctuary.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Cats kill around 55 million birds in Britain every year.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Most of the animals that come into us at this time of the year -
0:07:38 > 0:07:40it's basically down to cats.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45This little chap here he had no feathers on him at all.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Over here more ducklings -
0:07:47 > 0:07:49the mother has been killed by cats.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54Probably about 80-85 percent of our admissions are down to
0:07:54 > 0:07:56cat attacks.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59It's not only birds...
0:07:59 > 0:08:03We're talking hundreds of baby birds, rabbits, hedgehogs,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05even fox cubs.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09You name it, anything wildlife-wise we tend to get in
0:08:09 > 0:08:11because it's been attacked by cats.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17A week's victims from the freezer.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21We have kept some examples of what has happened,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23and bear in mind it's down to cat predation.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28This little squirrel here - she was pulled out of the nest.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Baby rabbits.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Another squirrel.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Little mouse.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40This is the slow worm that the RSPCA brought in to us.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Another little collared dove - you can see the wounds.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49More collared doves, a little robin, baby pigeon
0:08:49 > 0:08:51and an adult pigeon here.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56This is just in the last week or so.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59I think a lot of owners don't want to know.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02It's the sort of attitude where "that's what he does",
0:09:02 > 0:09:06but there are things that you can do to change that.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10We owe it to future generations that we protect these species.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15I'd like cat owners to take more responsibility for the actions
0:09:15 > 0:09:18of their cats - so keep your cats in at night.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21At the moment cats are a major problem.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28You need to remember that every cat is going to be an individual
0:09:28 > 0:09:32and many cats are very proficient hunters.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35One common negative interpretation of natural cat behaviour
0:09:35 > 0:09:37is that they are in some way malicious in the way
0:09:37 > 0:09:43they kill or even that they will tease and taunt another species.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46What is important to remember is that hunger
0:09:46 > 0:09:49and hunting are separately controlled within the brain.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51So you don't have to be hungry.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54That means that you may start to hunt because you can't help
0:09:54 > 0:09:56yourself, because you are triggered to do that.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And then you get part way through the process but you're not
0:09:59 > 0:10:01actually hungry and not really interested in the prey.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04They are hunters - that is part of their natural behaviour.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08They are very well-designed predatory machines.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Nestling in the West Midlands, there's a little oasis
0:10:15 > 0:10:18of immaculately maintained tranquillity.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Welcome to Beacon Heights - and to its preserving guardians -
0:10:23 > 0:10:25The Committee.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30It's a private estate and you've got to be 55 or over to live here,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34semi-retired and you've got to look after your garden.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36If you look around at the gardens,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39you can see how proud everyone is of their little homes.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41They keep their homes beautifully decorated
0:10:41 > 0:10:45and the gardens immaculate, it's the way they look after them.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49But the manicured order of Beacon Heights is under threat
0:10:49 > 0:10:53from a very particular - and smelly - form of anarchy.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57Oh, there's all sorts of things you find in your garden.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00The stuff that cats pass is just disgusting.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04It don't just smell - it makes you feel like throwing up.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09The Committee's daily patrols have become a dismal
0:11:09 > 0:11:11inspection of the invaders' foul deposits.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16The cats come along here.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19One or two pigeons haven't been quick enough and they catch
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and kill them and that's why they're always through here.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23It's a little bit of a rat run for them.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Cat run. Rat run. One of the two.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29That looks pleasant stuff compared to some of the stuff
0:11:29 > 0:11:30we have to get up.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33And I mean some of the... It's awful.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38- Some more here.- Some vomit there.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45There's a pack of them - well in excess of 20.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49A pack of feral cats are breeding on Beacon Heights.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50Their numbers are growing.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53They eat all kinds of rubbish and they're in poor health
0:11:53 > 0:11:56so they tend to vomit everywhere.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I'm sick of clearing it up and when they're sick,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02eat grass and they're sick, that's even worse.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05These are a damn nuisance, and you can imagine in another,
0:12:05 > 0:12:10you know, couple of years' time, you're going to have an army of cats.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I think somebody should do something about it.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19I can whiff it. I can whiff it, but...
0:12:20 > 0:12:23This is where you get the problems,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27wondering what you're going to come up against underneath all this soil.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34All the... All the nice things the cats leave us.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Hence very thick gloves.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41It's like being a commando in training, you have to go through a system,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44and get dressed properly before you come out and do a bit of gardening.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46CAT MEOWS
0:12:46 > 0:12:50They're just gaining on us. And we don't want to go round killing them.
0:12:50 > 0:12:51We all like animals.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55But there comes a line where something's got to stop.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59The Committee has decided enough is enough.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03They're canvassing opinion for resolute action against their oppressors.
0:13:08 > 0:13:14Not every cat is a bird slaughterer or a vomiting, feral lout.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16This is the home of Buster.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Oh, oh, oh! OK, OK. It's all right.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25See? It's an example, actually, of whenever anybody's in the house
0:13:25 > 0:13:29that he's not familiar with, he is so jumpy. He's so nervous.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34And he's just not happy any more. So, as you can see, he's just...
0:13:34 > 0:13:37He doesn't want to... What's that?
0:13:38 > 0:13:41He's very suspicious of every situation.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45I mean, without consciously hurting me, he's actually scratched me
0:13:45 > 0:13:49when I've tried to pick him up just because he's clambering to get away.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Buster's terrified in his own home.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56In the past, he's had trouble with the neighbour's cat.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Buster lives here. And next door lives Ollie.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04He's a rather different sort of cat.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- I think Ollie does go into some houses.- Do you?
0:14:07 > 0:14:13- I'm not being weird, but he smells a bit funny at the end of the day. - THEY LAUGH
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Ollie's owners say he may be a bit of a wanderer, but he's a gentleman.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20In six and a half years, I've never seen him be aggressive.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22The lady at the cat rescue told me
0:14:22 > 0:14:25that he was brought in because he was fighting with the other cats
0:14:25 > 0:14:29in the house, and that he'd been attacking the children in the house.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33But the lady at the cat rescue said she didn't believe that was true
0:14:33 > 0:14:37because he had a lovely nature, and I could see that straightaway.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Buster's not so sure.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44Cats fight, and they are territorial, but certainly Buster, I think,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48disproportionately comes home with scratches all over his nose,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and you think, OK... And he's got chunks of fur removed,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and it makes for a very unhappy cat, at the end of the day.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02That's actually quite brave. SHE LAUGHS
0:15:02 > 0:15:04That's quite unusual.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06But again, I notice as soon as he goes out,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09he's got to just check, is everything safe out here?
0:15:09 > 0:15:13He's been ambushed a few times when he's gone out of the cat flap,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15and instantly come back in again.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21It became quite apparent fairly quickly that their cat was starting to use our cat flap.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I don't believe that they've got one of their own.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26So, as a deterrent, really, we decided
0:15:26 > 0:15:30we'd get an electronic cat flap and that would kind of solve the problem.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35Buster's owners have installed a new whizz-bang cat flap to keep other cats out.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39It only opens when it senses Buster's microchip.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42In theory, any other cat in the neighbourhood that tries to get in,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46they'll just hit a brick wall. That's the theory, anyway.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49But Annie has a lurking suspicion that strangers are still
0:15:49 > 0:15:52sneaking through the cat flap.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55There are noises in the dark of the night.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58We've been asleep, you know, two, three o'clock in the morning.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Our cat has been on the bottom of the bed, curled up quite happy,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and then I can hear the pitter-patter of feet.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07First of all, I will hear some of the cat food in the kitchen being
0:16:07 > 0:16:11eaten, and then I hear perhaps a floorboard creak.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I know it's not an intruder, but I know it's probably the cat.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Ollie's owners say he's an innocent man.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20There's no way he'd eat another cat's food because...
0:16:20 > 0:16:23When we first got him, we didn't realise that he had one or two medical issues.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Cat meat made him sick, quite violently sick,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29so he's been put on a prescription diet.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34I think people would notice if he was eating normal cat food.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Maybe it's our own frustration,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39but it's almost as if he is poking his tongue out to us, really.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43From a distance, he'll look at us and know that we can't get anywhere near him,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46and if we could, what could we do?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Today, Annie's particularly anxious.
0:16:50 > 0:16:56The family are going away on holiday, and poor, nervous Buster will be home alone.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01It's always in the back of my mind about how we manage to look after Buster.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04We've got my daughter coming to feed him twice a day
0:17:04 > 0:17:06and just keeping a good old check on the house.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I'll probably ring home a couple of times,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12And my first words will be, "How's the cat? Where's the cat?"
0:17:12 > 0:17:15There's not an awful lot I can do about that, really.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18So it upsets me, if I'm honest.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The house should be secure.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26Buster should be safe in his own home with no other cat able to get in.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30While Annie's away, cameras will record what's really causing
0:17:30 > 0:17:33things to go bump in the night.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42For some people, cat wars are great news,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46offering a lucrative opportunity to sell all sorts of gadgetry.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Cats bring huge amount of love to families, children, elderly,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52people on their own, lonely people.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57and then you've got another extreme that people absolutely detest them.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02- There are owls, there are prongs, there are ultrasonic scarers. - HIGH PITCHED WHINE
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Then there are more do-it-yourself approaches.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06We even had one customer phone up,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10he's read up that cats urinate around to mark their territory.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14As this battle that's gone on, he actually goes around his garden urinating.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17It's to show the cat who's the boss here. He doesn't use his toilet indoors.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20I guess that saves on having to flush the toilet.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23But he's outside urinating everywhere.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27So, you know, I would not really want to go for a barbecue round there.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Dave's a cat lover and has a cat of his own called Pie.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Our products that we sell don't really hurt the cats,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36they just stop the cats coming near to someone's house,
0:18:36 > 0:18:38so the cats will then just move somewhere else.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Put that into the ground, pointing towards the area you want to protect.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46HIGH PITCHED WHINE That's now audible to humans. That's about 15 kilohertz.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48WHINE STOPS I'll release it. It's still working,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51but it's taken the sound emitted up to over 20 kilohertz
0:18:51 > 0:18:54so it's now ultrasonic - humans can't hear it, but cats can,
0:18:54 > 0:18:58and it just irritates the cat and it will move to another area.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Next, one of Pie's least favourite devices.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Instead of emitting a burst of ultrasound,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06it actually emits a burst of water.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Again, it is triggered by the PIR sensor, works 24 hours a day.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13As it gets nearer and nearer it will then trigger it,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16and it sends the burst of water into the zone that's protected.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22DEVICE RATTLES
0:19:25 > 0:19:30Latest innovation? Well, it's going to work for cats and also birds.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32But we call it Boo Man.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34It's an inflatable scarecrow.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Here we can see the Boo Man is now sleeping.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I'm going to pretend I'm the cat and I'm going to walk past the sensor,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44and hopefully it will pick up my movement and trigger the Boo Man.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55It's like the ultimate deterrent.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02So we sent Dave the cat gadget man to Somerset to meet cat-pestered Joe.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16- Hello there, is that Joe? - This is Joe, yes. - Pleased to me you. I'm David.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Would you say it's more in there where the soft sandy soil is,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22or actually on the lawn area, or both the same?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- Well, it's more readily observable around here.- OK.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Another regular place, which they haven't used recently,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33is that area of grass, the other side of the drive.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35On the lawn there, OK.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40Look, there's a cat. Look at that! It's as if they know I'm here.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43If I was by myself, they would flee
0:20:43 > 0:20:45because they know I was going to chase them.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46They recognise you now, do they?
0:20:48 > 0:20:54Dave is about to transform the garden into an impregnable fortress using every trick in his boot.
0:20:57 > 0:21:03You could use both of them pointing in this direction here.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05So, I'm just going to switch that on.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Those batteries will last a couple of months.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Right, we're ready, Joe. You can switch it on.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Like a cat, Joe. Stealth.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Oh, yes!
0:21:23 > 0:21:25- Did it get you?- It got me! - JOE CHUCKLES
0:21:25 > 0:21:29OK, I think that is set perfectly.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- Read that, it tells you about cats.- I'll do that.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34And there's some nice stuff in there about how to learn to love them.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- Oh! - HE CHUCKLES
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Hopefully, you know, we've made a step in the right direction with Joe.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44He's got a couple of toys he can play with and he can have a bit of fun.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47I don't think the cats will be too bothered, they'll just move elsewhere.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50The problems are too deep rooted. You can't solve that problem.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53There's nothing I could do. I would love to.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58If he was willing, I would buy him a cat as companionship in later life.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01You never know. But I suspect not.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Well, I'm quite impressed at the moment.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06- INTERVIEWER: - Are you happier now, Joe?
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Yes, it'll be interesting to see what happens.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Time will tell.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21The Beacon Heights committee have made their enquiries
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and made some unwelcome discoveries.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Hidden among their ranks is a fifth column of cat sympathisers.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Some even offer comfort, succour and food to the enemy.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Right, I hope there's a cat here.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41It is treason from a cat food box.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- Hello, there.- If you've come about the cats...- Yeah.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51That's what we've come about.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Yeah, well, I'm a cat lover and I don't care how many there are.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58I love cats and that's it. And I won't be cruel to them.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00- Got it, lovely. - SHE LAUGHS
0:23:00 > 0:23:05The lady's rather passionate about it, isn't she? About the cats.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07She loves them. Yeah.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11We haven't got no mice. And I don't want mice. I'd rather have a cat!
0:23:11 > 0:23:13SHE LAUGHS
0:23:13 > 0:23:14Oh, dear.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16It's their choice. It's our choice.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19They know we like cats, they know we feed them.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21I just have a bowl outside.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26No, I'll feed them as long as they are here.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29I don't care what the others do.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32They don't like them. We can't make them like them.
0:23:32 > 0:23:33The Committee are all right.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36They've got their views and everybody's entitled to their views.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40It's like, I think most of the committee are of the same
0:23:40 > 0:23:45opinion as far as the cat thing goes, but, you know, you can't just
0:23:45 > 0:23:48agree with them for the sake of agreeing with them, like, you know?
0:23:48 > 0:23:50We've got no problem with the cats,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53they seem to have a problem with the cats.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Because they go in their garden!
0:23:55 > 0:23:57And they don't come in mine.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I think it's because I feed them!
0:24:00 > 0:24:04It's all a bit discombobulating for the Committee.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08If you love animals, you're going to feed them.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12I'm not going to say I blame anybody for feeding them.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16It's very kind of them, it's simply not helping the situation.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Faced with the Committee's stern disapproval,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25some residents have resorted to secret feeding at the crack of dawn.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30If people complain about them, you can't do much about it!
0:24:32 > 0:24:36There's four now that comes outside the door.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39You've got to be a cat person to like them.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41I mean, a lot of people have had dogs all their lives
0:24:41 > 0:24:43so they don't like cats.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46I mean, I always liked cats
0:24:46 > 0:24:49but I've never heard many people round here say they like cats,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51- have you?- No, I haven't. I haven't.
0:24:51 > 0:24:57- You mustn't feed them but...- You can't help it. Well, I can't anyhow.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Yeah, but you're not the one that goes out
0:25:01 > 0:25:03and puts the dish at half past six.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07No, you're the one that gets up on the morning early and goes out.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12There are at least one and a half million feral cats in Britain,
0:25:12 > 0:25:13and in Beacon Heights
0:25:13 > 0:25:18they have found some willing, if secretive, collaborators.
0:25:18 > 0:25:24About last year we did put a letter round asking every resident
0:25:24 > 0:25:30to let us know if they objected to having those wild cats removed
0:25:30 > 0:25:33and we said to let us know as soon as possible.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38If we don't hear anything, we will take action on your behalf,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and we had no replies but it seems
0:25:41 > 0:25:46that perhaps one or two should have done!
0:25:47 > 0:25:52Beacon Heights is divided between the feeders and furious.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55The Committee is calling a meeting to straighten things out once
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and for all. Fur may fly.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06Southampton. Dead of night. Buster's first night on his own.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Just past midnight, a face appears at the micro-chipped cat flap.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Yes, it's Ollie.
0:26:16 > 0:26:17It should keep him out
0:26:17 > 0:26:21but he's cunningly worked out a way round the one-way flap.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25He eases his claws round the side and instead of trying to push
0:26:25 > 0:26:28through it, he pulls it towards himself.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38You have to hand it to him, it's resourceful.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Using the same trick, he's then back at 1am.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52In fact, in the first 24 hours the family are away,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Ollie comes in ten times.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59It's as if he knows they're on holiday.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08While Buster is hardly seen.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28At Beacon Heights, it's the day of the straightener. 11 residents,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30small caravan, big differences.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34ALL EXCHANGE GREETINGS
0:27:37 > 0:27:38MAN: Meow!
0:27:38 > 0:27:40LAUGHTER
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Well, we've got a cross section of people here that have got
0:27:44 > 0:27:46varying views on the cats.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50It is a problem. It's a day to day problem.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54I tried to cut my grass the other day and I had to spend
0:27:54 > 0:27:58half an hour before I started just cleaning the mess off the lawns.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02- I think you're exaggerating there a little bit.- He ain't.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Well, you know, how many cats have you got?
0:28:05 > 0:28:09I went to feed the kittens the other night. I've got two kittens, right?
0:28:09 > 0:28:12What you feeding them for if you don't...?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14No, hang on. The reason I fed the two kittens
0:28:14 > 0:28:16because I don't want 'em to snuff it, right?
0:28:16 > 0:28:19So I am adding a little bit to the problem
0:28:19 > 0:28:21but I don't want to see them perish. Right?
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Now, what's happening now, because I'm feeding them,
0:28:25 > 0:28:26the word's getting' round.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28There's five there the other night.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- Well, we feed them regularly. - I do.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35- Well, my wife feeds them.- You all know, I feed the cats.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37See, you feed them, we have all the crap.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39- There's four that regularly come. - We don't have a problem.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41We don't have any more than four.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44- I see about a dozen. - Well, I'm just saying.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46- I'm only telling you what I see. - We don't.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48I don't know what you see. I'm telling you what I see.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51- Look, I believe you, you believe me. - Yeah, OK, fair enough.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52But there must be about a dozen.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55We don't get no stink, we get no sick on the lawn.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59- Are you sure it's not the hedgehogs or the foxes?- ALL: No.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02No? All right. OK.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Anybody that likes cats, I suggest
0:29:05 > 0:29:09take them into your property and keep them as a domestic cat.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13- They won't come! I've tried. - They won't.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15They're feral cats.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18I've never had a problem like this before.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Now, but you say you feed them
0:29:21 > 0:29:24but they empty their stomachs in somebody else's garden.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27They're just an absolutely pain in the arse, they are.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31My garden, now I dug it yesterday, I guarantee today and tomorrow,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34it'll be dug up, the plants will be dug up,
0:29:34 > 0:29:36there'll be sick and mess everywhere.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40I'll put something to you all now
0:29:40 > 0:29:44and see if I can get a sort of a general consensus of opinion.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48Right, the Cats Protection League have said to us
0:29:48 > 0:29:52that they'll trap all the cats, they'll take them away.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56They will neuter them all free of charge but, of course,
0:29:56 > 0:29:58then the cats will have to be brought back.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00That's just not a good deal, is it?
0:30:00 > 0:30:03I mean, it's nice that they're going to neuter them
0:30:03 > 0:30:06but we've still got the muck machine.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09Don't you think the first stage forward is what John suggested,
0:30:09 > 0:30:12to get the cats neutered? That's the first step on the ladder, isn't it?
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Look, there's thousands of feral cats all over the place.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18Well, the only way you're going to get rid of them quick
0:30:18 > 0:30:20is destroy them, all right?
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Tell me another answer.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24I don't remember saying that.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26No, but you want to get rid of them quick.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30You've just said, if we take them away and get them neutered,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33which I think everybody's in agreement with, right?
0:30:33 > 0:30:34But the muck machine.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36Yeah, but at the moment, we've got them reproducing and the muck.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39- And the muck machine.- So let's get rid of the reproduction while we're
0:30:39 > 0:30:43waiting for a resolution to the muck and the spew and everything.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45- At least to start.- Get rid of one problem at a time.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Yeah, that's right. At least it's a start.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50OK, folks, thanks very much. Thanks for coming round.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Thank you, chairman. Thank you.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54ALL SAY GOODBYE
0:30:54 > 0:30:55I'll see you, Graham.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Yeah, lovely seeing you.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00It's a compromise, but a sensible one.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Feral cats breed rapidly,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06so neutering will stabilise their numbers.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09The next step at Beacon Heights is to call in the trappers.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15Feral cats are actually an increasing problem in Britain.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20Certainly because of the natural breeding behaviour of cats,
0:31:20 > 0:31:22it means that when you do get colonies of unneutered individuals,
0:31:22 > 0:31:26you can have a rapid rise in population.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29The health issues of a feral colony are very serious
0:31:29 > 0:31:30for the individuals.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34If there are undiagnosed gastro intestinal diseases,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37you may have levels of faecal deposits
0:31:37 > 0:31:40which are diarrhoeic in nature.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42That may be unpleasant for the people that find them.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46You may also get vomiting problems coming from cats who are unhealthy.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50After a week of cat surveillance,
0:31:50 > 0:31:54it's clear that Ollie is using his impressive dexterity to make
0:31:54 > 0:31:58the neighbour's house his own four or five times a day.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15He's adopting an increasingly brazen swagger,
0:32:15 > 0:32:18confident he is the master in this house as well as his own.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23He's eating Buster's food with lip-smacking relish.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Buster is a rarely sighted visitor.
0:32:32 > 0:32:33When he does show up,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Ollie isn't far behind.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Buster is quickly chased out by the invader...
0:32:48 > 0:32:49an exile from his own land.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58Unfortunately, invasion of other people's properties is not uncommon,
0:32:58 > 0:33:03so we do see quite large numbers of problems related to this.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07Try to get away from this idea that there is any kind of spite
0:33:07 > 0:33:09or the one that is doing the invasion is a nasty cat
0:33:09 > 0:33:11and the one that is at home is the nice one.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16It is not as simple as being one cat terrorising the other cat.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20The cat that is invading is looking out for itself and deciding
0:33:20 > 0:33:23there is something beneficial about being in this other property.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27That's not to say it's not a serious issue for the resident cat
0:33:27 > 0:33:29who may be quite scared by what's going on.
0:33:34 > 0:33:35Two weeks later,
0:33:35 > 0:33:39the trappers from Cat Protection roll onto Beacon Heights.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42Every year, they neuter 170,000 cats,
0:33:42 > 0:33:44but the deal is they have to be returned
0:33:44 > 0:33:48to their home area and the locals have to look after them better.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51- Do you feed them on here? - Yeah, we feed them on here.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55- Oh, that is brilliant.- I have just had one here for 20 minutes.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00Well, there is just the feeling of anticipation that something
0:34:00 > 0:34:04might be happening, which is a step in the right direction as well.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07If some like them and some don't, we stay in the middle of the road.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Full stop.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20The hungry cats of Beacon Heights are easy meat for the trappers.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Shame! What a bloody shame.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33I said that's a shame. I've got nobody to feed now, have I? HE LAUGHS
0:34:33 > 0:34:37He's got three already. And counting!
0:34:37 > 0:34:40So here we go, McKenzie!
0:34:40 > 0:34:41We are in business!
0:34:41 > 0:34:43We are looking on the good side now.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Let's get this job done and we can all have some peaceful gardening.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Yeah, there's one there now. There is one at the side of the bins.
0:34:56 > 0:35:02- Come on, mate.- Everyone seems to be quite happy with what's happening.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05As long as they are not abused.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09Cos, I mean, they didn't ask to be here, like, you know.
0:35:10 > 0:35:11They're only cats.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Perhaps we should all cancel our holidays
0:35:16 > 0:35:19and stay at home for a week while they are away.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25The cats will be back in a week's time, fresh from neutering.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31At Joe's house in Somerset, the deterrent devices stand sentinel
0:35:31 > 0:35:34over a garden unsullied by the attentions
0:35:34 > 0:35:36of the neighbourhood cats.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Joe's mood is improving.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Well, everything's relative.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48Over the last two weeks, I haven't observed a single one crossing
0:35:48 > 0:35:53the patio, or even prowling about on the drive making mischief.
0:35:53 > 0:35:58It was a daily occurrence but now we hardly see them at all.
0:35:58 > 0:36:03It's great that I no longer have to go round with a spade
0:36:03 > 0:36:07to remove the evidence they have left of their presence.
0:36:07 > 0:36:13I think it has made a difference. May it long continue.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16So long as they keep away, I'll be very happy.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18If they keep out of your garden,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20do you think you could learn to love them?
0:36:20 > 0:36:22No, I could never love a cat.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Buster's owners are back after what turned out to be a tricky
0:36:39 > 0:36:41fortnight for him.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Annie has certainly noticed a difference.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47The first thing I noticed, I was particularly struck
0:36:47 > 0:36:52when I picked him up how light he was and just seemed really very anxious.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56Particularly so, more so than any other holiday we have been on.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58And where is Buster now?
0:36:58 > 0:37:01Well, the last two days he's actually not been around.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04I'm a bit worried because I think he can't afford to lose too much weight.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07One day perhaps he just won't come back.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Annie's still completely unaware of the frequency
0:37:10 > 0:37:13and audacity of Ollie's visits.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17So we showed the CCTV material to both households.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19The awful truth is about to be revealed.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24SHE GASPS
0:37:24 > 0:37:26That's...the neighbours' cat!
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Is that him?
0:37:28 > 0:37:30- Yeah, that's Ollie! - SHE LAUGHS
0:37:34 > 0:37:36That shouldn't be possible.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38He shouldn't be able to go through there.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Remarkable.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43- Oh, look what he's doing!- Oh, OK.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47- How is he doing that? - He pulled it towards him.
0:37:47 > 0:37:48Oh, right.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Straight into the kitchen, straight to the food bowl!
0:37:53 > 0:37:55There we are.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56That's exactly why he's doing it.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58He's licking his lips.
0:37:58 > 0:37:59Oh! Cheeky monkey.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03Licking his chops - "Thank you very much!"
0:38:03 > 0:38:06- This weekend he's been ill. - A couple of times.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09Because he can't eat any more cat food.
0:38:15 > 0:38:20Now, this is Buster, because the cat flap has come in the correct way.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26He looks so frightened. He's got a look of terror all over his face.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Imagine how horrible it feels if you're a human
0:38:29 > 0:38:31and you've got an intruder in the house.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33It must feel the same for a cat, actually.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37Poor little pussycat! Look at him. He looks really frightened.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40- Why is Buster so nervous?- Because he knows Ollie has been in there.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43He can probably smell him and he's probably seen him.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Oh, no!
0:38:49 > 0:38:51God.
0:38:51 > 0:38:56Buster has just come in and now the neighbours' cat is following him.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Lifting up the cat flap.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01And I'm wondering now whether this is one of the episodes
0:39:01 > 0:39:03when we've heard cat fights.
0:39:03 > 0:39:04Oh, dear.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11Oh, don't.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13He's terrorised.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15Oh, here we go.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17They are both now in that room.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21I think that was Ollie. Oh, no, it was Buster.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25That's Ollie at the back. Yeah, Buster was first.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27- He was chasing him out. - Of his own house.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29Cos the second cat was all black on the back.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- So we are sorry about that one! - Yeah!
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Ollie, bang to rights.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38But little consolation to an owner worried sick about her
0:39:38 > 0:39:41frightened and now missing cat.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45It actually quite upsets me. He's being pushed out of his own home.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Buster is never going to be a lion.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53But I just want him to feel safe in his own home, that's all.
0:39:53 > 0:39:54It's not a lot to ask for, is it?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57The way I am feeling at the moment,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00I'm thinking I would rather close the cat flap altogether,
0:40:00 > 0:40:05board the damn thing up and just let Buster in and out the front door.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08We've got nice neighbours, we have no
0:40:08 > 0:40:14issue with them, and I wonder if I said something specifically to them,
0:40:14 > 0:40:18they might say, reasonably, "What can we do to resolve the problem?"
0:40:18 > 0:40:24And I would hate to have conflict with them, we don't currently.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29I'm not sure they fully understand the behaviour that is going on.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32And I suspect that they would probably be a bit upset
0:40:32 > 0:40:34about that too, I imagine.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39We didn't know he was able to be a cat burglar. We thought that
0:40:39 > 0:40:45once they got this new cat flap that it couldn't be our cat
0:40:45 > 0:40:49because the cat flap would deal with it. We don't know what cats think
0:40:49 > 0:40:54but I assume that if he can't get in for a few weeks, months, blocked off
0:40:54 > 0:40:57or whatever, maybe he will give up on it
0:40:57 > 0:41:00but that might be the way forward.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09At that very moment, as if by magic, the refugee returns.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13- Guess who's in the front garden? - Is he?
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Oh, come on, then! Where have you been?
0:41:15 > 0:41:17Hey! Come on then.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22It's all right. Come on.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27Have them all. Have the whole packet.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30I just want to take him in and put him in a bedroom at the moment
0:41:30 > 0:41:33because he's so upset.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Come, come, it's all right, it's all right.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37It's all right, it's all right.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40Oh, dear, he must be starving.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44He's absolutely terrified. Absolutely terrified.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48What I'll do now is just try and keep him shut in.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52See where we go from there, really.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Oh, that really does upset me, I have to say.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58The cat flap is now boarded up
0:41:58 > 0:42:03and Buster is steadily regaining his weight and peace of mind.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16At Beacon Heights, it's the day the cats come back.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Some have been looking forward to this more than others.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Oh, we've all had a holiday. It's been absolutely brilliant.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25We have been working in our gardens, nothing on our fingers,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28it's wonderful.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31But now they have to be educated and that starts when they run away.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34But we'll be all right.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37It's heartbreaking to see them in a cage.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40We're just waiting for them to be released now.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44It will be nice seeing them back, keeping the mice down.
0:42:45 > 0:42:46Ready, go!
0:42:50 > 0:42:53Go on, sweeties!
0:42:55 > 0:42:56Back in trap four!
0:42:56 > 0:42:58LAUGHTER
0:43:01 > 0:43:02I think people will be more on side now.
0:43:02 > 0:43:07It depends if they start making a mess or something.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11I must say, we haven't had any mess off them so that's why
0:43:11 > 0:43:15we haven't bothered with them so much being here.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18As part of the deal, the residents - cat lovers
0:43:18 > 0:43:20and haters - will be responsible
0:43:20 > 0:43:23for the welfare of the returned cats.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26This should cut down on mess by keeping their stomachs
0:43:26 > 0:43:27in better order.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29It could be a bitter pill for some.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33- For you.- I hope it tastes nice, we'll give some to the cats!
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Because they are part of the park now.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39They become a part of your life and some of you will accept them
0:43:39 > 0:43:41as your children.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44- Not everybody.- We won't! HE LAUGHS
0:43:44 > 0:43:47We can't get rid of them.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50We'll kind of tolerate them and now they are cleaned up a bit,
0:43:50 > 0:43:54they'll behave a bit better now they've been doctored, so...
0:43:54 > 0:43:55So let's hope it works.
0:43:55 > 0:44:01So often the key to contentment, compromise takes many forms.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04But few would expect to find it in a slop of lamb chunks in jelly.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Oh, here we go.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11I've noticed that every time you feed them
0:44:11 > 0:44:15they don't make a mess in anybody's garden who is feeding them.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18So maybe there's a lesson to be learned for us older people.