0:00:10 > 0:00:15The thing I love about cats is that they're very independent,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17but very loving.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22- You can play with them. - They're comforting.- They're furry.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27If he's out, I get lonely. When he's in, fine, I'm all right.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32Well, you can see how lovely it is to have him near me
0:00:32 > 0:00:34and be able to stroke him.
0:00:37 > 0:00:43We may love our cats, but how much do we really know them?
0:00:43 > 0:00:47They have a secret life that remains a mystery.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52With leading cat scientists,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Horizon has set up an experiment to find out what they get up to.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03- ..Wandering round.- Go back. Go back a bit.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Across the week,
0:01:05 > 0:01:0950 cats in this village will be put under 24-hour surveillance.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18Good boy! Are you wanting to go outside and we can see what you're doing with that camera on?
0:01:18 > 0:01:22They'll be wearing specially designed cat cameras to show us
0:01:22 > 0:01:25what they do when they're not at home.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33And carrying GPS receivers to reveal their secret journeys.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39What's unique about this experiment is that it reveals
0:01:39 > 0:01:42how 50 cats live, crowded together...
0:01:44 > 0:01:46..how they hunt and fight...
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Really a classic stand-off.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55..and the surprising strategies they use to get along.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00It raises the intriguing possibility that our cats may be changing
0:02:00 > 0:02:03and that could be down to us.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16I'm going to find Shamley on the map for us.
0:02:19 > 0:02:20John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis
0:02:20 > 0:02:24are two of Britain's leading cat scientists.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26It should sweep round to the right.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32They're on their way to the village of Shamley Green in Surrey to
0:02:32 > 0:02:35recruit cats for the study.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39I think one of the things that will be really interesting about this
0:02:39 > 0:02:42study is, it's every owner's dream to find out what their cat
0:02:42 > 0:02:44does as soon as they go through that cat flap.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Well, let's hope it's going to be...their dreams are going to
0:02:48 > 0:02:50be satisfied, it won't be a nightmare.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54The cat sniffing into the butcher's next door and stealing sausages. SHE LAUGHS
0:03:04 > 0:03:08There are over ten million cats in the UK
0:03:08 > 0:03:12and the highest density of them are found here,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14in the southeast of England.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19But despite their popularity, scientists know surprisingly little
0:03:19 > 0:03:23about their behaviour once they've left the cat flap.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Got a fairly wide range of types of housing
0:03:28 > 0:03:30and, hopefully, types of cat here.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Yeah, definitely.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36The built-up area, if I'm looking at the map, seems to be behind us.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41And then these houses in front of us look to back all on to fields.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45They want to find out more about how far cats travel each day...
0:03:45 > 0:03:49So hopefully we'll get cats roaming out of their back gardens
0:03:49 > 0:03:50and up into the farms.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55..how these solitary creatures manage to live side by side...
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I'll expect some of these houses in this more built-up area,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00there might be multi-cat households.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04..and where cats really find their food.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07I've really been interested in the cat
0:04:07 > 0:04:10because it's that combination of wild animal and domestic animal,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13and the changes that are going on within it,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15that I find fascinating as a biologist.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24The scientists are looking to recruit 50 cats of all ages,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26sizes and breeds.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28I've got three cats, if that's any good!
0:04:28 > 0:04:30I've got one.
0:04:31 > 0:04:38On average, cats live to about 15 and weigh in at around four kilos.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43This is Lily. She's an 18-month-old Bengal that I bred.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47This is Obi, short for Obi Wan Kenobi.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- This is Kato. - Claude's quite a character
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and he has various girlfriends in the district.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Does quite a lot of hunting.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59- I want to find out where he gets them all from.- That's what I said.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02They go out every night and come back and sleep all day,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05so it'll be quite interesting to see how far they go.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08My husband thinks he just goes ten feet up the woods,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10but I think he goes a lot further.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15He used to belong to a lady over the road, but he left home.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17They've now got a dog.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Everyone's gathered in the village hall to meet the scientists
0:05:23 > 0:05:26and find out more about what the study will involve.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33We want to get a picture of your cat's natural, normal life,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36so don't do anything different, don't change your routines,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38don't lock the cat flap,
0:05:38 > 0:05:42don't suddenly call up the local handyman and get a cat flap put in.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Let the cat do what it usually does and hopefully we will build up
0:05:45 > 0:05:49this picture of what it's like to be a cat in Shamley Green.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53I'll now hand over to Alan, who is the technical expert,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55among many other things.
0:05:56 > 0:06:02Alan Wilson's task is to devise a new way to track the cats.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06He's a world expert in tracking wild animals.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Where we do most of that work is in Botswana, in Africa.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13So we design and build things like this. This will fit on a lion.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- LAUGHTER - This will fit on a cheetah or an African wild dog.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25The technology that Alan has developed for the big cats is
0:06:25 > 0:06:27an advanced GPS tracker.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33It tracks the animal's position, speed
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and how fast they're accelerating, step by step.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41The collar has got solar panels on the top, it's got
0:06:41 > 0:06:44electronics in the top here and then the batteries on the bottom,
0:06:44 > 0:06:45and a radio antenna.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48So this will give us the position of our animals
0:06:48 > 0:06:52to tens of centimetres, 300 times a second,
0:06:52 > 0:06:53and how fast they're going,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57so we actually get exquisitely fine detail about what they're doing,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00where they're moving, what terrain they're moving in,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03how they're hunting, when they're successful and when they aren't.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06It really is opening up whole new measurements that weren't
0:07:06 > 0:07:09possible before with traditional tracking collars.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14The information he's gathered has transformed our understanding
0:07:14 > 0:07:18about how these fearsome predators live in the wild.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23We're going to turn on the GPS loggers.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28He now has to do the same for our pet moggies
0:07:28 > 0:07:30by miniaturising his technology.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35And today, he's testing it out for the first time.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38This is Zach, this is my dog.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Zach's quite an expert on testing our collars for us.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Here's one of our wildlife collars that we're using in Botswana.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49We've developed three smaller GPS modules we want to try on the cats.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52And we can then compare the performance of those
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and see how well they work, compared to what's our gold standard,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58which is our wildlife collar. I think it's going to be quite challenging.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02I think they're going to object to it a lot more than our wild cats do.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07And they're a lot smaller, so the size of the collar is much more of a challenge.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And, yes, I don't think it's going to be easy.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Here, at the Royal Veterinary College,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Alan Wilson's colleagues are developing
0:08:21 > 0:08:25a cat-tracking system that is accurate to within centimetres,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29incredibly lightweight, so the cats will wear it,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32with a battery life that will last 24 hours.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Zach, come!
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Cats are known to travel up to 31mph,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51often under the cover of trees and undergrowth.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54So Alan now has to analyse his data
0:08:54 > 0:08:58and choose a tracker that is robust and accurate enough.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07And here it is.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11There are 50 of them,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14and the owners are queuing up to get their hands on one.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Fantastic!
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Give her another stroke.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Excellent, and let her eat.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33- Have one of these. - More food for him?
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Amazing.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Within a few days, we've got 50 collars on 50 cats.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51Everything is now in place for the study to begin.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55The scientists are setting up base in the village hall.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02The operation will run day and night, across the week.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14They've brought in an undercover surveillance crew
0:10:14 > 0:10:16so they can secretly film the cats.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23We're having five more cameras dotted around. One on top of the garage.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28So hopefully, we'll be able to see what's going on.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34With the technology in place, it's now all down to the cats.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43The scientists arrive at the village hall,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47just as the first day's GPS data is coming in.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53261.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57301, 302, 303.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Alan's team of engineers have worked through the night,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06wrangling the data and finding a way
0:12:06 > 0:12:10to visualise the cats' precise movements over 24 hours.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35This is our village green here. The deli's here, isn't it? Or here.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45A detailed picture of the cats' first 24 hours of activity
0:12:45 > 0:12:47now starts to emerge.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Have you seen this one? It's quite exciting.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Each cat is represented by a different trace.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Brutus, who simply patrols around his home.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Molly, who's drawn to the neighbouring wood.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26And Ginger, who heads out to a neighbour's house.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32The first question is, how far they travel beyond the cat flap,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35which is what scientists call the cat's home range.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44Sooty, who lives on the edge of the village, grabs everyone's attention.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46- It's quite a big range.- Hmm.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48What do we know about Sooty, John?
0:13:48 > 0:13:53OK, so Sooty is an ex-farm cat,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55so that would figure.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Sooty has walked two miles in the first day,
0:13:59 > 0:14:04but he's gone just 160 metres in each direction from his home.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Sooty's really covering about three hectares.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11He tends to travel quite a range in this one particular time period.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14But Sooty is unusual.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18In the heart of the village
0:14:18 > 0:14:22the average male cat goes just over 100 metres from his house,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25and female cats just over half that.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31Some of our cats that lived in this much more dense area,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34- actually how far they went was much denser, was much closer, wasn't it? - Yes.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37So the cat density is probably much higher here than it is here.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41And we've got a much wider roaming on this particular day.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Another thing that's clear is that these cats
0:14:47 > 0:14:50seem to have distinct patches that they roam in.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Some areas of the village
0:14:54 > 0:14:56which apparently aren't being used by the cats,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58but then it may not be, of course, a typical evening.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- One day. - Not the greatest of weather.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06So the secret world of cats happens close to your back door,
0:15:06 > 0:15:07just out of sight.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Even if they don't go far from the cat flap,
0:15:10 > 0:15:15they are still busy patrolling round and round the same area.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Which do you think is the one who's travelled furthest?
0:15:22 > 0:15:24I think Sooty's the one who's done most walking around.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27What we're seeing here on the screen is
0:15:27 > 0:15:30the very first indication we've ever had
0:15:30 > 0:15:33of the detail of the pet cat's life when it's outside the home.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Billy's travelled on this excursion up to the farm and back,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39but looking at Sooty, Sooty may not have ranged quite as far
0:15:39 > 0:15:41but there's a lot more loops here.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45I think the fact that we have got 50 GPS collars
0:15:45 > 0:15:47on cats in this village is fantastic,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50because one cat's behaviour will influence another's,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53undoubtedly, when they're sharing the same physical space.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58Thomas is active nearly three times - a little bit after dawn
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and then in the early afternoon
0:16:00 > 0:16:03and then a big burst of activity in the evening, 10, 11 o'clock.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Quite a rush to get to this point
0:16:05 > 0:16:07and so many things could have gone wrong,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09they don't seem to have done so so far,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11so I'm really pleased, really excited
0:16:11 > 0:16:13about what we're going to see over the next week
0:16:13 > 0:16:14and what data we'll get.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It'll be nice to see as we go over the whole week
0:16:17 > 0:16:21whether we see any usage in areas we're not seeing just after one day, won't it?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Oh, yeah.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26So what are the cats actually getting up to
0:16:26 > 0:16:29when they're out on patrol?
0:16:35 > 0:16:37In order to find out,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40the BBC's research and development department
0:16:40 > 0:16:42has created a new type of camera
0:16:42 > 0:16:45that will capture a cat's eye view of our world.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Today, Dr Sarah Ellis and Alia Sheikh, who developed the camera,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58are out to test a prototype.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00I wonder if that's recording.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- Oh, I see, that's clever. - Is it recording?
0:17:03 > 0:17:06- It's recording now.- Is it?- It is.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12The cat's welfare is the first priority.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14The cameras are very light,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17and will be fitted onto quick-release collars
0:17:17 > 0:17:18in case they get caught up.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22He's a good boy!
0:17:22 > 0:17:24We'll give him a bit of fuss, that's lovely.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27And we'll play with him.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31There's a good boy, such a good boy.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33You're a good boy! Are you wanting to go outside
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and we can see what you're doing with that camera on?
0:17:43 > 0:17:46The cameras are then made smaller,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48able to film in the dark,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51even record sound...
0:17:56 > 0:17:58..and then connected to the GPS collars
0:17:58 > 0:18:01so that we can see exactly where cats are
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and exactly what they are looking at.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12We've chosen 14 cats to put cameras on,
0:18:12 > 0:18:17and soon the world through their eyes starts to unfold.
0:18:30 > 0:18:31Hello, Coco.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34How are you this morning, hey?
0:18:34 > 0:18:35Yes.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Cats have excellent long-distance vision,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01but they can't focus their eyes under 25 centimetres,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04which is why they have whiskers.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14They can jump up to seven times their own height...
0:19:16 > 0:19:18..and jump down much further.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43So far, the experiment has revealed just how close to home
0:19:43 > 0:19:45most of the cats in the village stay.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51But as everyone knows, when cats stray into each other's areas,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53trouble begins.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57GROWLING AND HISSING
0:20:07 > 0:20:11For some cats, the privet hedges and gravel paths
0:20:11 > 0:20:13off our back gardens are a battle ground.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17There was one cat that came into the garden.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21It wasn't so much a fight, it was a showdown between the two of them
0:20:21 > 0:20:23sort of staring at each other.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28He was out all the time, he was like the king cat of the close,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and he was always fighting
0:20:31 > 0:20:32and literally no-one would come...
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Any other cat would be, like, "Oh, it's Kato."
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I heard this tremendous fight going on, so I got the ladder,
0:20:40 > 0:20:41climbed up the hedge
0:20:41 > 0:20:43to see what was going on,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46and the cat was having a fight with the neighbour's cat
0:20:46 > 0:20:47on top of the hedge.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49On top of the hedge?
0:20:49 > 0:20:51- That was...- Scarface?- Scarface.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55He does come in occasionally,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57frightens the life out of them.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Charlie runs up the stairs to hide.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Scientists think that
0:21:07 > 0:21:11many cats have a territory much smaller than its home range.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16It's territory is its own personal space
0:21:16 > 0:21:19where it eats, sleeps and rears its young.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23When another cat enters this space,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26they instinctively want to defend it.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37CAT MEOWS
0:21:40 > 0:21:42One of the questions for the scientists
0:21:42 > 0:21:46is how cats establish and defend these territories.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Ginger has lived in the village for ten years,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56and seems to be a pretty placid, well-behaved cat.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00We think that he just goes next door, catches the odd bird, and sleeps.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02We don't think he goes out at night,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05because when you watch him, he doesn't seem to like getting his paws wet
0:22:05 > 0:22:10or being out in the rain or he doesn't like the cold, he doesn't like the snow.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12In the summer he'll just sit and sunbathe in the garden,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15so, yes, it will be interesting.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21But appearances deceive.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Ginger, it turns out, has a secret life.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Here's Ginger, he came over here and if we just move forward.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40The GPS data shows he's making a deliberate, provocative journey
0:22:40 > 0:22:42into another cat's garden.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50To see what he's up to, the scientists put a camera on him.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00At 8.36pm Ginger leaves the house.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08He spends a few minutes patrolling his own back garden.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Then takes a trip across the village common.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32At exactly 8.48pm, Ginger stops...
0:23:32 > 0:23:33dead in his tracks.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Just as he's entered the other cat's garden.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46And that cat is at home.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51HISSING AND GROWLING
0:23:58 > 0:24:00YOWLING
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Eventually Ginger makes a run for it.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06HISSING
0:24:06 > 0:24:10If you want to come in and have a look, we've got some footage that's come in on one of the cat cameras.
0:24:10 > 0:24:11This is from Ginger,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and Ginger's been roaming around the area near its house,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16going through some fields.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Moving quite fast.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23He's stopped.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26You can see right away there,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29there's a pair of eyes from another cat.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34HISSING
0:24:34 > 0:24:36GROWLING
0:24:37 > 0:24:39He's running towards the other cat.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42I think he's trying to get a bit of distance, really,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46more than anything, because the other cat came towards him.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Definitely doesn't want to be anywhere near him anyway.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Wow! That's OK.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00It looks like really a piece of classic stand-off
0:25:00 > 0:25:02between two cats,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04where they are using hissing, growling and yowling
0:25:04 > 0:25:08- to really try and keep a distance from each other.- Yeah.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11And it looks as if it was reasonably effective there.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16And this is Tigger,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18the cat whose garden he was in.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22She lives in the house on the other side of the common.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Didn't hear anything last night.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29We do hear fights on occasions but I didn't hear anything last night.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33I'm surprised, actually, because I always thought that Tigger just let anyone in.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35No, she doesn't. She does fight.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44So this is how cats establish,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48defend and even expand their territories.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Our night-time pictures
0:25:55 > 0:25:59reveal that these stand-offs are going on all the time.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06GROWLING
0:26:07 > 0:26:10But although they found this happening over and over again,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13rarely did it lead to fighting.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16They are descended from a solitary species,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18so if they blunder into one another,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21then it's very difficult for either of them to back down,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25because turning your back on another cat is a dangerous thing to do,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and most cats will have learnt that very early on.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37They would actively defend a piece of land
0:26:37 > 0:26:39which contains their core resources.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Cats do sometimes actually fight.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45There are actual wounds, claws and teeth get used.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49But most cats will tend to try and avoid conflicts
0:26:49 > 0:26:52because if you rely on yourself for survival,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54it is not good in terms of fitness
0:26:54 > 0:26:57to get yourself injured. It's incredibly costly.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07So this is a big part of what your cat does beyond the cat flap.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Patrolling and facing off the neighbours' cats...
0:27:15 > 0:27:19..but, above all, trying to avoid a scrap.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45- Big Ginge.- Big Ginge! Pebbles with a hat on, looking quite cross.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53The way they avoid fighting isn't just by having stand-offs.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58The scientists think there's something intriguing happening,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02where the cats' spaces overlap in the middle of the village.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10This is Phoebe, she's been living here for six years.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15And this is Kato.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19He's been here even longer, and his owner wants to find out
0:28:19 > 0:28:22why the two cats have become permanent enemies.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28- He's got enemies across the road. - And do you know who that is?
0:28:28 > 0:28:30- Phoebe.- Phoebe, OK.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Sarah thinks that she may now have the answer.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39The GPS data reveals this is what Kato gets up to
0:28:39 > 0:28:43over 24 hours as he travels around the cul-de-sac.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47And when you put Phoebe's trace on the screen,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49you get a snapshot of HER daily routines.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51So, in the green,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54huge amount of overlap in the space that they use.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57There is, isn't there?
0:28:57 > 0:29:00For cats, which seek their own space,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03these two cats are on top of each other.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06No wonder they are stressed.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11But they don't seem to be fighting much. So what's going on?
0:29:16 > 0:29:23It's 11.50pm, here's Kato heading out on his night patrol.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28He stays mostly around the cul-de-sac,
0:29:28 > 0:29:30and takes a trip into the local woods.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34He comes back around dawn.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37An uneventful night.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43And that's because Phoebe hasn't left her home all night.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55But at 7.45 in the morning, Phoebe heads out on HER patrol.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02And Kato, he's at home.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Watching nervously.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13A deeper look at the data suggests that the two cats may be
0:30:13 > 0:30:18sharing the same space, but not at the same time.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25Kato's out a lot, Kato's out a lot late in the night here,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29and a few short forays in the morning.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33Phoebe's active during the day, and mainly after lunch, in that period here.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Not much overlap in when they're outside.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38So when one was active outside, the other wasn't.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41- So we think what they're doing is... - Avoiding each other.
0:30:41 > 0:30:42Yeah. Using a shift system,
0:30:42 > 0:30:45and the occasional time when it doesn't work,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48- that's when you're getting a fight. - Right, OK.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51So it's nice to know that they have got the shift system
0:30:51 > 0:30:53and they are managing themselves.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58And it's not just these two cats.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Other cats, like Billy and Molly...
0:31:01 > 0:31:05Interesting. Molly is out at one, two o'clock in the morning,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08a lot of activity here in the early morning, when Billy wasn't out.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10One's going in, one's going out.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16..and Claude and Thomas seem to be doing the same thing.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Claude comes over into the area of Thomas,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24Thomas is much further over,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27they're not in the same place at the same time,
0:31:27 > 0:31:28they may time-share that area.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34It seems to be happening all over the village.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39And here's how they're doing it.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44A set of chemical signals and scents which are secreted
0:31:44 > 0:31:47from the cats' glands in their cheeks when they rub...
0:31:52 > 0:31:54..and from their paws when they scratch...
0:31:59 > 0:32:03..marks out who was where, and when.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07If we imagine that the cat is putting down a Post-it note,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09it says what time it was there, who it was,
0:32:09 > 0:32:11and then it leaves that area.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Now, the nice thing about leaving a chemical signal
0:32:14 > 0:32:16is that you can physically leave,
0:32:16 > 0:32:18but you have left a message for another cat,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20so when that other cat comes along
0:32:20 > 0:32:23and reads that message, or that Post-it note, if you like,
0:32:23 > 0:32:27it's gaining information about who is using that space,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30and how long ago they were using it.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41Sarah and John have believed for a while that cats time shift,
0:32:41 > 0:32:44to share space and avoid fighting.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51But this data is the strongest evidence they've gathered so far
0:32:51 > 0:32:53that it's really happening.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04The week progresses, and the data continues to flood in.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08The scientists have been looking
0:33:08 > 0:33:11at how much time the cats spend outside the cat flap.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15The proportion of time they spend outdoors
0:33:15 > 0:33:16is actually quite low,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19it might be as little as 20% on average,
0:33:19 > 0:33:21and some cats we know now don't go out at all.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23Even though they have access to the outdoors,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26they just simply choose not to do so.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31At any one time, there are many more cats inside than out.
0:33:32 > 0:33:37Outside, the most we've ever really got is ten cats outside at one time.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39There's a nice place to rest at home,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43they go out because they feel like it rather than because they need to.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45So the next question to answer is,
0:33:45 > 0:33:49what has happened to the wild sides of the cats of Shamley Green?
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Cats haven't always been our pets.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03We started living alongside them around 9,000 years ago,
0:34:03 > 0:34:05when we started farming.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08And they had to work for a living.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10We gave them food and shelter,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13in return for keeping mice and rats at bay.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17It's the same reason these cats
0:34:17 > 0:34:21live on David Hicks's Oxfordshire farm today.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24We were just overrun with rats and the poison wasn't working.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27They were burrowing under the floors of the buildings,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29undermining the floor so the floor collapsed,
0:34:29 > 0:34:30making holes in the bags of food,
0:34:30 > 0:34:32and mucking and peeing in the food,
0:34:32 > 0:34:34making it inedible for the animals.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36We had such a rat problem, in the end,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38a friend suggested we got some cats
0:34:38 > 0:34:42because they sorted his rat problem out.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46We're three, four years on now,
0:34:46 > 0:34:48we've got lots of cats but no rats.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55This relationship explains why it was beneficial
0:34:55 > 0:34:58for cats to hold on to their wild side.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00Cats like these must live
0:35:00 > 0:35:03much in the same way as we imagine cats must have lived
0:35:03 > 0:35:05right at the beginning of domestication,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08when cats were first beginning to associate themselves with man.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11These cats are really here as hunters,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14they are here to keep the rats and mice down on this farm.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18And in that respect, they behave much like wild animals,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21they use the same hunting tactics that wild cats do,
0:35:21 > 0:35:26and every cat still has within it the instinct to go hunting.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35Cats are undoubtedly much wilder than the average domestic animal is.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39They choose their own mates, who is going to father which kittens,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42rather than, as with most domestic animals like sheep or cattle,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45or whatever, it's the farmer that makes the decisions.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Cats are still really in charge of their own destinies.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54And whether they do become our pets
0:35:54 > 0:35:58is down to how they are reared as kittens.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01There is really a very short window of opportunity
0:36:01 > 0:36:05during which kittens can learn about how to socialise with people.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08It's just between about four weeks of age and eight weeks,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11which is considerably shorter than other domestic animals.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15So if a kitten doesn't meet people within that first eight weeks
0:36:15 > 0:36:17then it essentially goes feral,
0:36:17 > 0:36:20it becomes an animal which is more or less like a wild animal.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23It's still got the domestic genes in it,
0:36:23 > 0:36:25but it is, in terms of its behaviour
0:36:25 > 0:36:28and its attitude to people, much more like a wild animal.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38This ability to tolerate humans
0:36:38 > 0:36:40yet hold on to their wild side
0:36:40 > 0:36:43was crucial for the domestication of the cat.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Even if we think we've managed to domesticate cats,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54they still retain their wild sides.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15And that's because cats remain natural born hunters.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31They're often vilified for killing off other animals.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37But the extent of this predatory behaviour, in the UK at least,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40is uncertain.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49We found this mole here this morning and we don't know if Ginger
0:37:49 > 0:37:53caught it or not, but it's dead, so we're going to pop it in here.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Pick him up so we can take him up to the hall tonight
0:37:55 > 0:37:58and they can have a look at him up there.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01The scientists are hoping to use this study
0:38:01 > 0:38:05in Shamley Green to see if there are any clues as to what's going on.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07It's a little shrew,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09from Phoebus.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12And he caught it a couple of nights ago.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14We've ask the owners to collect everything
0:38:14 > 0:38:17their cats bring home throughout the week.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Lovely!
0:38:20 > 0:38:22It's been in the freezer for one night.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24Probably died of old age.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26I think he's been around the gardens for ages.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Because cats usually hunt out of sight,
0:38:29 > 0:38:31often under the cover of night,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34the scientists are hoping the cat cameras and GPS collars
0:38:34 > 0:38:37may help reveal what they are up to.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39When I came down this morning,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43I opened the back door and on the mat outside was this.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54OK. On the back lawn, was it?
0:38:54 > 0:38:56Yes, on the back lawn.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Think it's a bird.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00He walked in very nonchalantly, looking very satisfied,
0:39:00 > 0:39:04so I went out and had a look, and all that was left was one eyeball.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11This is the green.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14That's the green over here, this is the other side of the road.
0:39:14 > 0:39:15John, Sarah and Alan
0:39:15 > 0:39:19have started combing through the cats' traces
0:39:19 > 0:39:23to look for unusual night-time activity which may indicate hunting.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27So that's Billy, and he looks like he's travelling up to a farm
0:39:27 > 0:39:31or a single household, one single trip up and back down.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35This is another cat that he lives with, is it?
0:39:35 > 0:39:37Molly's from the same house as Billy,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40they're both British Blues, pedigree cats.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43This big trip is at night-time.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46So I guess he's going to be hunting up that hedgerow.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48What he was doing at the farm, of course, we don't know.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52They were right to suspect hunting that night.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57Billy and Molly's owner has seen the cats the following morning.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00I think they were out pretty well most of the night, actually.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03I'm pretty certain they went out as soon as we went to bed.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Billy in particular came in with a very bloated tummy,
0:40:06 > 0:40:09so I don't know quite what he's been up to,
0:40:09 > 0:40:12but probably eaten quite a few bits and pieces along the way,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15and he's very sleepy today. In fact, both of them are very sleepy,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18so I think they've been hunting a lot last night.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21They start to identify the cats
0:40:21 > 0:40:25that seem to have the strongest indications they've been hunting.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Like Sooty.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Spends quite a lot of periods of time there.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards,
0:40:34 > 0:40:38suggesting he may be using that as a bit of a hunting ground.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40A lot of time and a lot of movement in that area
0:40:40 > 0:40:42before he comes back down.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44So this is very much a journey,
0:40:44 > 0:40:48whereas this would be more suggestive of hunting-type behaviour,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51just because he's covering the same area a lot.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56The next night, the scientists put a camera on Sooty.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02At night, cats' eyes only need a sixth of the light that humans need to see.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09And what helps them hunt is they can hear a broader range of sounds
0:41:09 > 0:41:11than almost any other mammal.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24He appears to be looking for something in a tree.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28But tonight, Sooty is not successful.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37The pub cat, Chip, spends a lot of time in her neighbour's garden.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48And here's why.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51He climbs a tree to get into a hedge...
0:42:04 > 0:42:07..where there's a bird's nest ready to be plundered.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16The camera falls off so we don't see the aftermath of his attack.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21But we do have the evidence.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29So by the end of the week, John wants to know how many birds
0:42:29 > 0:42:32and small animals the cats have brought home.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34And what, if anything,
0:42:34 > 0:42:39it tells us about the true nature of their hunting abilities.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41We've got about 15 items here,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44brought in by the cats, which the owners have managed to collect.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46The owners have also told us
0:42:46 > 0:42:49that there was probably seven or eight other things that have been brought in
0:42:49 > 0:42:53but have been consumed in front of them, so a total of just over 20,
0:42:53 > 0:42:55divided up between 50 cats,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57so that's less than half a prey item per cat over the whole week.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59It's not a huge amount.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01I don't think our cats are hunting very seriously.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04They obviously spend a lot of time out of doors,
0:43:04 > 0:43:07or at least many of them do, looking around,
0:43:07 > 0:43:09as if they're hunting,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12but the actual pouncing attempts are comparatively rare.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16There's a couple of birds actually been eaten, at the back here,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20a house mouse, just one, which is the traditional prey of the cat.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24That's a vole, and here, almost in pride of place, is a mole,
0:43:24 > 0:43:26which is very difficult to catch for a cat,
0:43:26 > 0:43:29because of course they spend a lot of time under ground.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31This is no more than a snapshot
0:43:31 > 0:43:34of what's going on over one week in this village.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39But while we've been here, the impact has been rather minimal.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43So what might be going on here?
0:43:45 > 0:43:48It could be that this year's cold spring
0:43:48 > 0:43:50has delayed the birth of the baby animals.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55Or that cats just don't like being outside in bad weather.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59But the data from the experiment has thrown up
0:43:59 > 0:44:01an even more intriguing possibility.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11When Coco's GPS collar is first turned on,
0:44:11 > 0:44:12she's in this house,
0:44:12 > 0:44:14and it's not hers.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21On Tuesday, here's Chip.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23Again, he enters a neighbouring house.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27And a day later,
0:44:27 > 0:44:29here's Claude doing the same.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34It's only when we install surveillance cameras
0:44:34 > 0:44:38by the cat flaps that we see exactly what is happening here.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45Rosie has her evening meal.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50And then half an hour later, her neighbour, Claude,
0:44:50 > 0:44:52boldly enters her home
0:44:52 > 0:44:56and helps himself to the leftovers when she is out of the way.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01At 3pm the next day, he's at it again.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05And it won't be the last time.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10It's a bit of a surprise to Claude's owner.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14Three minutes of scoffing in Rosie's house, non stop.
0:45:14 > 0:45:15How embarrassing.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17We've watched this video several times,
0:45:17 > 0:45:22and he doesn't spend much time lifting his head, looking around.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24- Worrying about anything. - Exactly. He's at home.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27- This is normal.- I feel that he's confidently doing this,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30and so he's done this probably more than once,
0:45:30 > 0:45:32this may be routine for him.
0:45:32 > 0:45:33Oh, dear.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37So, yes, midnight snacking is definitely happening in Claude's life.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45I think one of the things that I've been surprised by
0:45:45 > 0:45:48has been just how many cats are going into other people's houses.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51I'm not sure yet quite how many of those people are aware
0:45:51 > 0:45:53that those cats are coming in,
0:45:53 > 0:45:55but one of the main reasons they come in will be to get food.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58They'll be stealing food from other cats, essentially.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01I think you can almost bounce that off against the rather small numbers
0:46:01 > 0:46:03of prey that we've seen this week.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05Some of that may be down to the weather,
0:46:05 > 0:46:06but I think a lot of it is
0:46:06 > 0:46:10these cats are getting a varied diet by raiding other people's houses,
0:46:10 > 0:46:12they don't really need to go out and kill things.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Over the past decade
0:46:15 > 0:46:19pet food has become more nutritional and more common.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24So perhaps what we are witnessing here
0:46:24 > 0:46:28is cats changing their behaviour as we change their environment.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40But there's another part of the cats' secret life,
0:46:40 > 0:46:44where they've adapted to being more like our pets,
0:46:44 > 0:46:47and it's to do with how they communicate with us.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52- This cat meows a lot. - They both purr.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54If he's got no-one to play with and he's just on his own,
0:46:54 > 0:46:57he'll walk around - meow, meow, meow, meow -
0:46:57 > 0:46:59until someone comes.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Sometimes, I can hardly hear it.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04IMITATES SOFT PURR
0:47:04 > 0:47:07And sometimes it's...
0:47:07 > 0:47:08IMITATES LOUDER PURR
0:47:08 > 0:47:12..this sort of thing. He does have various purrs, yes.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15We may think cats are our pets,
0:47:15 > 0:47:18but many owners are left with the uncomfortable feeling
0:47:18 > 0:47:21that the cats are really calling the shots.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24We tend to fit in with the cat's lifestyle.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26Very much so.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- The cat's in charge? - No doubt about it.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32- It probably makes us quite unique, in some respects.- Do you reckon?
0:47:32 > 0:47:35I reckon, most households, I think the cats are in charge.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37- Not quite as much as this one, I don't think.- Yes.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41This is very much a feline-focused family, we are.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45By his purrs, I know more or less what he wants.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54They get their own way
0:47:54 > 0:47:57because as cats have become domesticated,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00they've learnt to change the way they communicate.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10When an animal meows
0:48:10 > 0:48:15or purrs, we tend to verbalise back to that.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18And it's almost like we have this idea of there being a conversation.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23And I think that definitely does
0:48:23 > 0:48:25have a part in strengthening the bond.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Sarah Ellis is going to repeat an experiment
0:48:31 > 0:48:36first conducted at the University of Sussex on her own cats.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40It focuses on two different types of purr.
0:48:40 > 0:48:41She's going to record them
0:48:41 > 0:48:45to find out what makes purring such an effective way
0:48:45 > 0:48:46for cats to get our attention.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51The first is the non-solicitation purr.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56GENTLE PURRING
0:48:59 > 0:49:01The non-solicitation purr
0:49:01 > 0:49:04will be the one that people are most familiar with.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08That's the purr that cats do when they are content, relaxed,
0:49:08 > 0:49:11when they're being stroked or interacted with by their owners,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14or if they're sitting on your knee, for example.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18In you come, good boy.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21But scientists are particularly interested
0:49:21 > 0:49:24in another type of purr,
0:49:24 > 0:49:27the so-called solicitation purr.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Cat owners will definitely be aware of this,
0:49:29 > 0:49:33but it may not be so well known amongst non-cat owners,
0:49:33 > 0:49:35and this is the purr that cats do
0:49:35 > 0:49:37when they want something from their owners,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40and very often that is in anticipation of food
0:49:40 > 0:49:42or if you're preparing food.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53LOUDER PURRING
0:49:56 > 0:49:58It's constantly chopping and changing
0:49:58 > 0:50:00the length of those purr bouts.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04And the purr is much faster in certain parts, isn't it?
0:50:04 > 0:50:06Back at the lab,
0:50:06 > 0:50:09Sarah's colleague examines the frequencies of the purrs.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14At the top, we've got the solicitation purr
0:50:14 > 0:50:17and down below, we've got the non-solicitation purr.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Both of these are low-frequency purrs,
0:50:20 > 0:50:22but what particularly stands out quite clearly
0:50:22 > 0:50:25is that complete stand-out peak you can see with a solicitation purr.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29It's very isolated from the other frequencies around it,
0:50:29 > 0:50:32which suggests it would really stand out quite clearly.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35You don't see that at all in the non-solicitation purr.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43And there's a surprising reason why we react so strongly
0:50:43 > 0:50:45to this frequency in the purrs.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Because embedded within it is the same frequency
0:50:52 > 0:50:54as a baby's cry.
0:50:59 > 0:51:04As humans, we are more sensitive to vocalisations in that frequency range,
0:51:04 > 0:51:06and we're more likely to respond to them.
0:51:06 > 0:51:12And that's likely because it taps into our care-giving or nurturing need,
0:51:12 > 0:51:15and it's this, I think, that makes them so successful
0:51:15 > 0:51:17at being our pets,
0:51:17 > 0:51:20because they have to illicit care-giving from us,
0:51:20 > 0:51:22and they've become very, very good at that.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41The experiment is drawing to an end.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43The scientists are starting to see the ways
0:51:43 > 0:51:46in which cats' behaviour is shaped by us,
0:51:46 > 0:51:49and by all the other cats living so close by...
0:51:51 > 0:51:54..how they've created tightly packed territories...
0:51:56 > 0:51:59Todd came up here, really close to where Thomas has been.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04..how they may be time-sharing to avoid fighting...
0:52:05 > 0:52:10..and how they may be hunting less and eating each other's food.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15But there's one surprise left in the village.
0:52:19 > 0:52:23This is the Edwards' house.
0:52:24 > 0:52:30And they have not one but six unrelated cats living together.
0:52:32 > 0:52:33Meet Duffy,
0:52:33 > 0:52:35Patch,
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Daisy,
0:52:37 > 0:52:39Coco,
0:52:39 > 0:52:40Pumpkin
0:52:40 > 0:52:42and Ralph.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47They seem a pretty happy lot, and given that the cats
0:52:47 > 0:52:49are both solitary and territorial,
0:52:49 > 0:52:53they do seem to get on pretty well together.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57But no-one is sure what happens beyond the cat flap.
0:52:58 > 0:53:03- Yellow's Daisy. What colour is Pumpkin?- Pumpkin's pink. Coco is red.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08So while Patch roams the local neighbourhood,
0:53:08 > 0:53:11Duffy, Daisy, Coco, Pumpkin and Ralph
0:53:11 > 0:53:15are all out at the same time and sticking very close together.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Which is a genuine surprise.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Your cats are actually really interesting.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29Down in the village, we've got lots of reports of hostility,
0:53:29 > 0:53:33including fights, and in a multi-cat household, which you have,
0:53:33 > 0:53:36you're our largest number in our study, with six cats,
0:53:36 > 0:53:40we would expect there to be quite a bit of tension,
0:53:40 > 0:53:44quite a bit of using different space outside.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46What's really, really unusual is we don't see that
0:53:46 > 0:53:48with your cats at all.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51And apart from Patch, who is the blue,
0:53:51 > 0:53:53and he does have a further range,
0:53:53 > 0:53:55he does go much further than the others,
0:53:55 > 0:53:59they're very, very much centred around your home,
0:53:59 > 0:54:00around your garden,
0:54:00 > 0:54:05and the really interesting thing is, they're all there at the same time.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09- Fantastic.- None of them are moving particularly quickly,
0:54:09 > 0:54:11they're all just bumbling around together, really.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15That, for us, is fascinating,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19because a whole group of unrelated cats...
0:54:19 > 0:54:22we just wouldn't necessarily expect that at all.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Out of all the lot we've had,
0:54:26 > 0:54:28this has been the ones that have gelled the most.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30Especially the boys, they're always...
0:54:30 > 0:54:32You'll see them playing together,
0:54:32 > 0:54:33they will lie together.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Pumpkin and Ralph lie on top of each other, not just next to each other.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40It's so cute the way they get on so well together.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43- Do you ever see them rubbing their faces against each other?- Yes.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47And Pumpkin and Ralph spent a lot of time grooming each other.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58This cat camaraderie is another example from the experiment
0:54:58 > 0:55:01to suggest that cats may be changing,
0:55:01 > 0:55:06evolving away from hunters to fit in better with us.
0:55:06 > 0:55:07As we're domesticating cats,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10we're retaining a lot more of
0:55:10 > 0:55:13what we call their juvenile characteristics.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17So they purr a lot, they play a lot, we see them needing behaviour.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21With our pet cats, if we are domesticating them
0:55:21 > 0:55:22and they are evolving, in a sense
0:55:22 > 0:55:25that they are retaining lots of these characteristics,
0:55:25 > 0:55:28- they might be more likely to be able to get on with each other.- Yes.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30But we're right at the cusp of that,
0:55:30 > 0:55:33in sort of the domestic cat's evolution.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40If she's right, this sort of feline harmony
0:55:40 > 0:55:42could be a vision of the future,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45as cats evolve to please the hand that feeds them.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03At the end of the week, the team have pieced together
0:56:03 > 0:56:05a picture of what the cats of Shamley Green
0:56:05 > 0:56:09get up to when they leave the cat flap.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Look, she's gone so far!
0:56:11 > 0:56:13The scientists have seen that all the cats
0:56:13 > 0:56:17have very different routines and roaming patterns.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23One of the most stay-at-home cats is Brutus.
0:56:23 > 0:56:24Didn't think he did,
0:56:24 > 0:56:26but now I've got the proof he doesn't go very far,
0:56:26 > 0:56:29so that's reassuring.
0:56:29 > 0:56:34And Hermie is definitely our roamer of the week.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38From the top to the bottom, that's 300 metres,
0:56:38 > 0:56:40it's 200 metres across, so that's six hectares,
0:56:40 > 0:56:4315 acres which he's actually ranging over,
0:56:43 > 0:56:47he's really going a long way overnight, covering a great deal of distance.
0:56:47 > 0:56:48Quite exciting.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51I had suspicions he may have found himself a sofa in the village
0:56:51 > 0:56:54that he likes to sit on, but evidently not.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59The remarkable thing about this study
0:56:59 > 0:57:02is its sheer size and the accuracy of the data.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Because we're looking at 50 cats,
0:57:04 > 0:57:08you can start to look at a lot of different effects in the data
0:57:08 > 0:57:11which you just don't get with a smaller study of five or ten animals.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13So this has come together really nicely
0:57:13 > 0:57:18to give a dataset that's a size that you can actually make those comparisons of.
0:57:19 > 0:57:24And what the scientists are seeing is a community of cats that is changing.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30The cat, when it goes through our cat flap,
0:57:30 > 0:57:33exhibits some of the behaviours of its wild ancestors,
0:57:33 > 0:57:34such as hunting,
0:57:34 > 0:57:36and then it will come back through our cat flap
0:57:36 > 0:57:39and have a social bond with the owner and be a family pet.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44Cats are still evolving and probably will still evolve into the future,
0:57:44 > 0:57:47becoming much more pet-like animals,
0:57:47 > 0:57:49and will lose some of those wild instincts
0:57:49 > 0:57:53because many of those things don't actually serve them very well in the 21st century.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02Perhaps cats will become less wild and even more pet-like,
0:58:02 > 0:58:05because that, it seems, is what we want them to be.
0:58:09 > 0:58:13And if you want to follow more of our cats' journeys
0:58:13 > 0:58:15you can log on at...
0:58:19 > 0:58:23MUSIC: "The Pink Panther" Theme Tune
0:58:43 > 0:58:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd