If you have a pet, you maybe think what it gets up to while you’re not around. Does she sleep all day? Get into some trouble? There’s no way of knowing without the help of some modern technology.
A team in Australia decided to find out once and for all one aspect of domestic cats’ lives: what they do when they are let outside. Most cat owners know that their kitty only roams in their yard, but what this project showed is… quite interesting.
The Central Tablelands Local Land Services in Australia decided to find out once and for all where cats go when they are outside for the night.
They attached GPS locators to 25 cats’ collars for the research. Their movements are tracked on the maps with a yellow line.
Of the 25 cats who were part of the study, 11 were not cooperative and many declined to move when the device was attached on their collar. Those kitties were excused from the research, because the cats’ comfort was far more important than the results.
The other cats brought in shocking results.
Peter Evans, a senior officer in charge of the project, said, “You always get the comment from owners that their cat never roam … but we thought it was a perfect visual to show owners where cats go when they don’t know where they are, because in fact, a lot of cats are unrestrained.”
Some of the cats roamed up to TWO MILES in their nightly adventures.
“I knew they wouldn’t stay only in the backyard,” said Evans, “but I was shocked with how far a few of the cats did go.”
Evans and his team want the study’s results to be made highly available so that cat owners are aware of what their lovely cats are up to at night. Just because a cat is able of traveling that far, they say, does not mean that they should be going that far. They could be putting themselves in big danger and causing issues to the flora and fauna of their neighborhood.
Next time you let your cat outside, ask yourself if you know where he’s going… and if you want him going there!
Share this fascinating story with your friends who love animals!
