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Cats started hanging out with humans thousands of years ago, and nowadays these fluffy, lovable pets are found in many of our homes. But there is no doubt lots of them still have keen hunting instincts - witness all the birds and small mammals they kill each year.
CrowdScience listener Rachel started wondering whether her cat Eva could fend for herself while watching her uncoordinated swipes at a toy on a string, and seeing her fall off the sofa. Even though Eva was once a stray, she now lives entirely indoors, and it is hard to imagine her holding her own back on the mean streets. But could this pampered pet recover her survival instincts? Or would she go hungry, or fall foul of other cats or predators?
Cat behaviour expert Roger Tabor is on hand with answers. His pioneering \\u2018cat-navs\\u2019 shine a light on what cats get up to inside and outside the home; we meet one of his subjects, a tiny cat with a fierce personality. Roger explains how a cat\\u2019s survival toolkit depends on their sex, breed, and above all their early life. Environment matters, too, so in Japan, where Rachel and her pet cat live, we visit a cat shelter to learn about the day-to-day challenges stray cats face.
And just how \\u2018domestic\\u2019 are our cats, anyway? How different are they from their wildcat cousins, and how did they come to be our companions in the first place? It turns out beguiling humans might be even more of a survival trick than hunting.
Presenter: Melanie Brown\\nProducer: Cathy Edwards
Contributors:\\nRoger Tabor \\u2013 Chartered Biologist and Cat Behaviourist\\nJamie Baker \\u2013 Head Keeper, Battersea Park Children\\u2019s Zoo\\nDr Eva-Maria Geigl \\u2013 Research Director, CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research)\\nSusan Roberts and Cheryl Nodhturft-Mori \\u2013 Japan Cat Network
(Image: Cat in Lion costume. Credit: Getty Images)
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