New cat study astonishes – forays often no further than 50 meters
Created: 05/11/2022, 08:30
By: Nina Marie Jarosch
Researchers from Norway have studied what cats really do when they are outside.
The result might surprise cat owners.
Oslo (Norway) – For many cat owners, their pet is and remains somewhat of a mystery.
And not only because of their inscrutable nature, but also because of their independent lifestyle.
Because unlike dogs, cats go outside on their forays all by themselves - and often for several hours and sometimes even days.
Cat owners are left with uncertainty and many ask themselves: what is my cat actually doing when it goes out of the house?
A study now provides answers.
New cat study astonishes – forays often no further than 50 meters
For the study, researchers from Norway equipped 92 cats from the small town of Ås near Oslo in a 1.1 square kilometer residential area with tracking transmitters for a month in order to analyze their routes and create a movement network.
All cats were well cared for by their owners and did not depend on hunting.
All but two of the house cats were sterilized, which limits the urge to move.
A third of the animals could leave the house unhindered through a cat flap.
In addition to the GPS transmitters, 47 photo traps have been set up to document the forays and straying of the animals.
The result was sobering and probably quite surprising for many.
Another study from Japan showed that cats usually know exactly where their owners are.
What are cats really doing when they go outside?
A Norwegian study provides answers.
© Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
New cat study is amazing - the animals are not great adventurers
Because cats are actually considered to be adventurous, energetic and with a penchant for extravagant forays.
But the study shows that the reality is different: cats are more likely to be couch potatoes than great adventurers - at least in a figurative sense.
The animals in the study spent an average of 79 percent of their time outdoors, no further than 50 meters from the owner's home.
Young cats often stay away from home longer because they are more curious.
According to the evaluation of the profiles, velvet paws only rarely went on larger forays.
"Some specimens ran relatively far away, sometimes several kilometers, but these were exceptions," confirms Richard Bischof, professor at Ås University of Environmental and Life Sciences.
The average maximum distance for all cats was 352 meters.
That means: Most cats are just around the corner when they are outside - or maybe next door in the neighbor's garden.
New cat study astounds - interest in the project is great
Bjarne O. Braastad, professor emeritus of ethology at NMBU, goes on to explain that the cats likely spend a lot of time close to home in their own yard resting.
"It's also worth noting that almost all of the cats were neutered," he adds.
“Of course that plays an important role.
Neutered cats roam around less often.” However, the researchers assume that feral cats without an owner have a much greater range of movement.
But the myth of the adventurous stray has now been refuted with this study.
