Your Cat — November 2017

16 Your Cat November 2017

Top tip!

Research shows that

a collar with a bell may

reduce the number of

animals caught

by cats.

Cats are hard-wired to hunt,

even if they don’t need to do

this for survival.

Night-time can mean

exciting experiences

for cats.

was a focal point on ‘The Secret Life

of the Cat’, were surprised and rather

embarrassed to see film footage

of their pets filling their faces and

wandering around a neighbour’s home.

This behaviour explains mysterious

weight gain — and why many a diet

has failed! The solution tends to be

for owners to upgrade to lockable,

microchip-operated cat flaps.

NIGHT’S ALL RIGHT

FOR FIGHTING

Cats use moonlight to navigate their

neighbourhoods and stake out the area

they claim to own.

In his book, ‘Cat Sense’, John

Bradshaw offers an insight into this

innate activity. “Our cats’ behaviour

shows us they are still trying to balance

their evolutionary legacy as hunters with

their acquired role as companions.

“They form strong attachments,

not just to the people they live with,

but also the place where they live — the

‘patch’ that encompasses their supply

of food.

“Considered logically, well-fed

neutered cats should not feel the need

for a territory of their own, neither for

sexual purposes nor for nutrition.

”Most cats who have got into a daily

routine of being fed high-quality food

by their owners do not hunt. Those

that do hunt are not particularly

enthusiastic — after all, they don’t

need the nourishment — nor do they

usually consume the prey they catch,

which is generally less tasty than

commercial food.

“Nevertheless, most still do patrol

an area around their homes, if their

owners allow them to do so.

“In urban areas, many

do not stray far — in

one study, some only

ventured about 7.

metres (25 feet) from the

cat flap, and none more

than 50.3 metres (55 yards).

In rural areas, this increased

to between roughly 18.3 metres

(20 yards) and 91.4 metres (100 yards),

depending on the cat.”

Each cat’s desire to establish and

defend a territory will inevitably bring

him into conflict with others. Yet few

seek aggressive conflict, and studies

have shown that cats will range their

territories outwards to avoid conflict

with neighbours. Also, an amount of

time-sharing will take place, either

engineered by owners, or by the

cats themselves.

THINGS THAT

GO ‘BUMP’

The night is fraught with

dangers, from wounds

caused by adversaries to

accidents on the roads.

With the roads deserted,

cats can become complacent

and wander along them, only

to be caught by surprise by

speeding vehicles with their lights on

full beam. A carefully chosen collar with

a safety buckle in a fluorescent colour,

or otherwise light-catching element, will

help improve a cat’s visibility to drivers.

In winter especially, vehicles can

prove a deadly nocturnal haven, if a cat

climbs into the engine compartment,

returning home with oil in their fur.

Worse still, if poisonous antifreeze leaks

from the vehicle and the cat ingests it,

he must be rushed to a vet.

Neutering has the result of eliminating

the need to wander in search of a

mate, but if your cat is a fighter, check

him over regularly for bite and claw

wounds, and keep up to date with flea

treatments and vaccinations.

IT’S ALL ABOUT ROUTINE

Interestingly, a survey among Your Cat

readers in 2013 showed that the evening

and night-time were the least active

time for most cats (the ‘busiest’ being

the morning). The evening was when

the cats usually wanted to play or spend

time close to their owners. Veterinary

behaviourist Jon Bowen interpreted this

as cats having adapted their routines to

fit around those of their owners.

Perhaps those cats who remain

closest to their wildcat instincts feel the

call of the night most strongly... —

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