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The Secret Life of the Cat

Episode 12 of 18

Horizon discovers what your cat really gets up to as 50 cats from a village in Surrey are tagged with GPS collars and their every movement is recorded.

Horizon discovers what your cat really gets up to when it leaves the cat flap.

In a groundbreaking experiment, 50 cats from a village in Surrey are tagged with GPS collars and their every movement is recorded, day and night, as they hunt in our backyards and patrol the garden fences and hedgerows.

The cats are also fitted with specially developed cat-cams which reveal their unique view of our world.

You may think you understand your pet, but their secret life is more surprising than we thought.

1 hour

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:59

    Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

    The Pink Panther - Theme

Meet the cat experts

Meet the cat experts

Dr John Bradshaw has written over 100 research papers and book chapters on the behaviour and welfare of domestic cats and dogs, and their relationships with people.

GPS and cat cam technology

GPS and cat cam technology

Our GPS units can decipher the positions of the cats to within tens of centimetres, while lightweight cat cams record their every move.


Why do cats purr?

Why do cats purr?
Adult cats that live in the wild rarely purr at all, so why do our domestic moggies purr so much? Helped by her own cat Pepo andΒ some human volunteers, Dr Karen McComb led research to find out.

The cat owner’s story

The cat owner’s story
Our cats’ behaviour surprised the experts.They were expecting a lot more tension between six cats in one household.

Credits

Role Contributor
Series Editor Aidan Laverty
Series Producer Zoe Heron
Producer Helen Sage
Director Helen Sage

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