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DainBramaged

(39,191 posts)
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 10:43 AM Jun 2013

What does your cat do when you’re not around?

Even though we domesticated them over 9,000 years ago, house cats remain a bit of an anomaly when it comes to how we treat them. I can’t think of another species we keep as a pet for which it’s accepted behavior to let them come and go as they please, even if there are a multitude of reasons why we probably shouldn’t. Those of us who keep our house cats indoors have a pretty good idea of what they get up to all day. But those free-roaming cats keep an air of mystery. Just what do they get up to when they leave the house? How far do they roam? And are they really bloodthirsty monsters, intent on wiping out all avian life as some would have us believe? A group of biologists in the UK have undertaken a rather large study to answer that question, which was also the topic of a recent BBC documentary.

Earlier this week, we covered a study of how cheetahs hunt in the wild. That study made use of finely grained data gathered by solar-powered radio collars equipped with GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. The Royal Veterinary College’s Alan Wilson, the lead investigator in that study, adapted that approach with a miniaturized version suitable for the much smaller house cat. Together with Sarah Ellis from the University of Lincoln and John Bradshaw at Bristol University, they recruited 50 cats (and their owners) in the village of Shamley Green in Surrey, England and fitted the felines with tracking collars to monitor them for several 24-hour time periods. Additionally, some cats were fitted with cat-cams to provide video data of what they got up to on their travels

Surprisingly, most of the cats didn’t travel very far, with male cats often not venturing more than 100m from home and female cats traveling half as far. Some lazy felines rarely even left their own yards. As for what they did when leaving, a lot of it seemed to involve patrolling and avoiding other cats. Unlike dogs, cats aren’t pack animals, and they tend to shun other members of their species. With so many cats living in close proximity, one might think that would be difficult. It seems that, like people with DVRs, cats with overlapping domains time shift, establishing different schedules so that confrontations are kept to a minimum.

The cats were also not the lethal bird-killing machines that some recent estimates have claimed. Over a one-week period, 50 cats were only responsible for a total of 20 kills (a mixture of birds, rodents, what looked like a rather large rabbit, and even a mole). Instead of massacring the local wildlife, they appeared to prefer raiding each other’s homes for food, with multiple cats visiting other cat owners’ houses for a supplementary meal.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/06/what-does-your-cat-do-when-youre-not-around/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22567526

48 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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What does your cat do when you’re not around? (Original Post) DainBramaged Jun 2013 OP
Not a lot. dipsydoodle Jun 2013 #1
My cats that own me are far more interested in what I do when not around, graham4anything Jun 2013 #2
I have noticed that hunting drops precipitously in cats more than about five years old . Nimajneb Nilknarf Jun 2013 #3
My cat stayed quite active until age 17 when he developed kidney problems. Buzz Clik Jun 2013 #7
Please never declaw another cat. Arugula Latte Jun 2013 #34
Amen Aerows Jun 2013 #46
Will never declaw another cat Aerows Jun 2013 #43
Declawing him saved his life. Buzz Clik Jun 2013 #44
I adore my cat Aerows Jun 2013 #45
It's a decision we have to make. Buzz Clik Jun 2013 #47
Yep. My cat is 15 now. She hasn't hunted anything in ages. She caught mice when younger. raccoon Jun 2013 #25
my grandparents cat susie was quite deathly til her golden years. well, when she was upnorth. pansypoo53219 Jun 2013 #38
what do they do when we're not around? That's easy… they plot against us. KittyWampus Jun 2013 #4
You're clearly someone who knows felines. Gormy Cuss Jun 2013 #36
50 cats with a total of 20 kills in one week? They were following the wrong cats. Buzz Clik Jun 2013 #5
They plot world domination The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2013 #6
For a second there I thought you were talking about me :) - nt HardTimes99 Jun 2013 #37
Henri - Politique FarCenter Jun 2013 #41
Eats, sleeps, pees and/or shits... KansDem Jun 2013 #8
Ask the NSA! randome Jun 2013 #9
Win! :) n/t KatyMan Jun 2013 #11
I have four giftedgirl77 Jun 2013 #10
practices his lightsaber technique Puzzledtraveller Jun 2013 #12
They go everywhere I don't allow them to go knocking things over and decorate the house with toilet appleannie1 Jun 2013 #13
My cat calls for me and watches out of several favorite windows Jamastiene Jun 2013 #14
My Digit is waiting at the door when I come home, she knows the sound of my car DainBramaged Jun 2013 #16
Yogi does that with my shoes. Jamastiene Jun 2013 #17
I won't discuss what happens Aerows Jun 2013 #29
She looks a lot like my Roma Aerows Jun 2013 #30
OH YES, plotting every day to get that extra wet food from me..... DainBramaged Jun 2013 #33
My experience with indoor cats has been that they don't do much when you're away AndyA Jun 2013 #15
Our cats deposit their mouse toys in the house plants. OilemFirchen Jun 2013 #22
My kitty mostly sleeps and eats. She's a good mouser and leaves her trophies in the kitchen doorway Arkansas Granny Jun 2013 #18
Mine drug home a rat, and meowed at me Aerows Jun 2013 #24
... GeorgeGist Jun 2013 #19
Oh sure. OilemFirchen Jun 2013 #20
I'm sure Aerows Jun 2013 #21
My 2 cats TopHatCat Jun 2013 #23
My cats smoke catnip cigars meow2u3 Jun 2013 #40
They sleep on the roof. Rex Jun 2013 #26
I don't know ... she won't tell me. Auggie Jun 2013 #27
She leaves a trail. LWolf Jun 2013 #28
They use their hidden opposable thumbs. nt Are_grits_groceries Jun 2013 #31
Yes. We are pretty sure our kitties are part of a large underground network Arugula Latte Jun 2013 #35
you would be surprised! (gps tag) grok Jun 2013 #32
I'm convinced Aerows Jun 2013 #39
our three are in cahoots....amazing the mischief they get into while we sleep! NRaleighLiberal Jun 2013 #42
We have two "rescue yard" cats. One will come inside and upstairs but just for a few hours Rowdyboy Jun 2013 #48
 

graham4anything

(11,464 posts)
2. My cats that own me are far more interested in what I do when not around,
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 10:50 AM
Jun 2013

and have placed a little mini cat-camera inside my car so, while no one is home, he and his cousin sit watching on the little cat-tv and see what I am doing.

When I turn the corner and come into the driveway, they quickly put it away so that I am none the wiser.

Then they snicker to each other in cat-code

 

Nimajneb Nilknarf

(319 posts)
3. I have noticed that hunting drops precipitously in cats more than about five years old .
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 10:51 AM
Jun 2013

By the time they are 10 or 12 they rarely kill anything. They spend most of their day sleeping.

 

Buzz Clik

(38,437 posts)
7. My cat stayed quite active until age 17 when he developed kidney problems.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 10:54 AM
Jun 2013

We had him declawed at age 16, and he could still catch chipmunks.

 

Arugula Latte

(50,566 posts)
34. Please never declaw another cat.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 01:21 PM
Jun 2013

It is incredibly painful for them -- analogous to cutting off part of your fingers. I'm surprised a the vet did that to your poor older cat.

 

Buzz Clik

(38,437 posts)
44. Declawing him saved his life.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 06:29 PM
Jun 2013

They had to check his kidneys before giving him the anesthetic and suspected that they were in the early stages of problems. We kept an eye on it, it got worse the next year, and we took corrective problems immediately. He likely would have died or suffered immeasurably before we could have discovered the root of the problem.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
45. I adore my cat
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 06:34 PM
Jun 2013

And she isn't the first I've had, and I declawed two of them. I will never declaw this one.

 

Buzz Clik

(38,437 posts)
47. It's a decision we have to make.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 06:57 PM
Jun 2013

The cat was barely going outside any more. He spent 95% of his day inside, and most of it asleep. However, his destructive tendencies for our furniture never abated. After 15 years of living with sub-par furniture, we made the choice. Being the first cat I ever declawed, I felt bad about it at first, but he adapted just fine.

raccoon

(31,091 posts)
25. Yep. My cat is 15 now. She hasn't hunted anything in ages. She caught mice when younger.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 12:27 PM
Jun 2013

Well, at least one mouse.



pansypoo53219

(20,906 posts)
38. my grandparents cat susie was quite deathly til her golden years. well, when she was upnorth.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 01:46 PM
Jun 2013

she had more access to provide us w/ OUR morning mole or mouse. goodness knows how many she kept for herself. she NEVER let us have birds,not sure if she ever killed a bird. she was a small cat.

 

Buzz Clik

(38,437 posts)
5. 50 cats with a total of 20 kills in one week? They were following the wrong cats.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 10:52 AM
Jun 2013

In his prime, my cat brought home between two and five dead things per day. It was a parade of carnage with blood, guts, fur, and feathers everywhere. I watched him run down a rabbit at full speed -- like something from a nature video with a big cat. The collision between rabbit and cat was audible from 100 feet away.

KansDem

(28,498 posts)
8. Eats, sleeps, pees and/or shits...
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 10:56 AM
Jun 2013

Not necessarily in that order.

I will concede my three house cats are valued as they help convert oxygen into CO2 for the benefit of the houseplants.

 

giftedgirl77

(4,713 posts)
10. I have four
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:03 AM
Jun 2013

Only two are allowed to go outside & only one leaves the backyard & only does that when one of the dumb dogs harasses her. Neither one of them can hunt & if they do it's a lizard (which my rotti is petrified of). I have actually seen the birds dive bomb my cats as they sit on the fence. Not to mention the birds love building nests in my plants, so I think that speaks volumes as well.

My other 2 aren't allowed out mainly for their own safety. The older one is kind of skittish so I don't want him to get spooked then lost & the other one is waaaayyy to curious. I'm afraid he will get distracted by something shiny & end up miles away.

As far as when I'm not home, I'm pretty sure it is a lot like the middle of the night, the whole house is their playground & they run around chasing each like they are nuts.

appleannie1

(5,044 posts)
13. They go everywhere I don't allow them to go knocking things over and decorate the house with toilet
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:17 AM
Jun 2013

paper if they can get the bathroom door open by putting their paws under it and pulling in concert.

Jamastiene

(38,187 posts)
14. My cat calls for me and watches out of several favorite windows
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:17 AM
Jun 2013

on each side of the house. My aunt has to listen to him until I come home. When I get home and open the door, I have to be careful, because he "knows" when my car gets close to home and waits, sitting right against the door. I mean his chest is right against the door when I open it. He meows and greets me the minute I open the door. He is an indoor only cat and refuses to go outside the door. He even hates to go outside in his pet carrier, which is the only way he goes outside. He has separation anxiety. He doesn't even like it if we are not in the same room.

DainBramaged

(39,191 posts)
16. My Digit is waiting at the door when I come home, she knows the sound of my car
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:23 AM
Jun 2013

and she lays on my clothes in the morning hoping to keep me from leaving.


Jamastiene

(38,187 posts)
17. Yogi does that with my shoes.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:25 AM
Jun 2013

He tries to un-lace them. If I put socks with my shoes the night before to have them ready the next morning, he takes the socks and tries to hide them. I have to hide my socks from him to keep him from hiding my socks from me.

Digit is beautiful, btw.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
29. I won't discuss what happens
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 12:44 PM
Jun 2013

if I leave a set of pantyhose out. Needless to say, shredded and runners are on the menu. And Digit is pretty, I agree.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
30. She looks a lot like my Roma
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 12:45 PM
Jun 2013

Eerily intelligent green eyes. You know she's planning a way to take over the world.

[IMG][/IMG]

DainBramaged

(39,191 posts)
33. OH YES, plotting every day to get that extra wet food from me.....
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 01:02 PM
Jun 2013

she knows how to open doors but hasn't figured out that you have to get the chair BY the door first to reach it......


AndyA

(16,993 posts)
15. My experience with indoor cats has been that they don't do much when you're away
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:21 AM
Jun 2013

They sleep, of course. A lot. They nap for a few hours, get a bite to eat, look outside, go to the box, find another spot to nap for a few more hours.

Sometimes they get frisky and play--I could always tell because all of their balls and little toys would be gone, smacked under the dresser, next to the refrigerator, under the sofa, etc.

From time to time, they investigate all the places they know they aren't supposed to be. You can tell because something has been moved, knocked over, or there's cat fur where cat fur shouldn't be.

Mostly, they sleep. That's perfectly fine by me, because they know they're safe and secure, always have food and water, and there's always a quiet place for them to rest without being disturbed. That gives me peace of mind as well, knowing they're happy and content.

OilemFirchen

(7,143 posts)
22. Our cats deposit their mouse toys in the house plants.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:37 AM
Jun 2013

Hoping, we can only guess, that they'll grow.

Arkansas Granny

(31,483 posts)
18. My kitty mostly sleeps and eats. She's a good mouser and leaves her trophies in the kitchen doorway
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:26 AM
Jun 2013

for me to find. I have yet to see any evidence that she hunts birds or has ever killed one since she has never brought me a feathered trophy and I've never found feathers in the yard to indicate that she has gotten one. She doesn't pay much attention to the birds out in the yard and they don't seem to have any fear of her. They will land on the ground just a few feet from where she is laying, but they quickly sound an alarm if they see any other neighborhood cats come into view.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
24. Mine drug home a rat, and meowed at me
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:42 AM
Jun 2013

with the thing in her mouth in the dark. I reached down to pet her, and yep, big fat rat in her mouth. Sanitize, INSTANTLY. She is so proud of herself, I'm waiting for the day she arrives home jawing a pitt bull in her mouth.

OilemFirchen

(7,143 posts)
20. Oh sure.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:34 AM
Jun 2013

They put cameras on them and expected them not to act like they were on T.V.? They do have agents, you know.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
21. I'm sure
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 11:36 AM
Jun 2013

I don't want to know. She's wonderful, sleeps a lot and has an extremely pleasant personality when she isn't killing things and dragging them home. I'll take dead voles for a thousand.

 

Rex

(65,616 posts)
26. They sleep on the roof.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 12:32 PM
Jun 2013

My cats never leave the property, they live in the treess and roof when not terrestrial bound. Most of the time they sleep. On the roof.

LWolf

(46,179 posts)
28. She leaves a trail.
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 12:41 PM
Jun 2013

I can reconstruct her day based on that trail.

Her toys move from room to room. Sometimes she scatters them, sometimes I come home to find that she's rounded them up into one pile in the middle of a room.

Things get knocked over, knocked off of tables and shelves, and sometimes dragged around. She often drags her scratching post from one room to another.

I can tell where she napped based on what she dragged to where to make a pillow, knead, and leave hairs on.

These days, with the weather better, the birds active, and windows open, she spends more time perched in a window sill talking to birds, but somehow still manages to move plenty of things around.

 

Arugula Latte

(50,566 posts)
35. Yes. We are pretty sure our kitties are part of a large underground network
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 01:23 PM
Jun 2013

that is plotting world domination. They get on the computer at night when we're sleeping and communicate with their cohorts.

 

grok

(550 posts)
32. you would be surprised! (gps tag)
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 12:59 PM
Jun 2013

Several months ago, a guy wrote about tagging his cat with a gps transmitter to see where he was went. Shortly after, several other people did it too.

Haven't found the original link but here is a recent one.. There are far more.

http://io9.com/gps-maps-reveal-where-cats-go-all-day-513701718.

.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
39. I'm convinced
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 01:57 PM
Jun 2013

mine is on a mission to destroy every pair of pantyhose I have, and then drag the most dreadful, disgusting little animals to the door so that I can praise her. I love her anyway.

NRaleighLiberal

(59,940 posts)
42. our three are in cahoots....amazing the mischief they get into while we sleep!
Tue Jun 18, 2013, 06:11 PM
Jun 2013

They tend to like to relocate things...just a few at a time. Different packets of my saved pepper seeds have made morning appearances in our bedroom, the living room and kitchen over the past weeks.

We can also hear them clomping around the house, sounding like a pack of elephants.

what fun they have!

Rowdyboy

(22,057 posts)
48. We have two "rescue yard" cats. One will come inside and upstairs but just for a few hours
Wed Jun 19, 2013, 02:00 AM
Jun 2013

The other freaks if the kitchen door even closes. Both have been neutered and one gets meds. Our yard is fenced in and as long as they stay close, they're protected. I don't know how to do more than that.

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