The secret lives of domestic cats in Surrey are to be revealed tonight in a new BBC Two Horizon programme.
In an hour-long show, the UK's leading cat scientists will uncover what felines in the village of Shamley Green get up to when they leave the home.
Using GPS trackers and specially designed micro-cameras, The Secret Life of the Cat follows 50 felines on their outings.
The cats were tracked over six 24-hour periods. Using miniaturised lion GPS collars, scientists from the Royal Veterinary College were able to track the cats' secret journeys day and night, to find out exactly where they go and what they get up to.
And cat-cams strapped beneath their chins gave a view from the animal's perspective.
The team found some of the cats in the village had complex time-sharing systems which helped them avoid confrontation, and they spent more time in each other's houses than any of the owners were aware of.
The programme stars Ginger, an intolerant and aloof tomcat known to fight with the neighbour's cat, and Chip, a stubborn black and white moggy.
Ginger cat Orlando also features in the show. He was once feral in Hong Kong, and in good weather he refuses cat food and instead hunts wildlife.
Horizon producer Helen Sage said: "In many ways, scientists know more about the roaming behaviour of big cats in Africa than they do about our own pets, which is why Horizon was so excited to work with the Royal Veterinary College on this ambitious experiment."
The Secret Life of the Cat was produced in collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College. Its panel of specialists includes cat behaviour expert Dr John Bradshaw; a leading expert in feline behaviour and welfare Dr Sarah Ellis; and head of the Structure & Motion Lab at the Royal Veterinary College, Professor Alan Wilson.
"Cats are still evolving and probably will still evolve into the future", said Dr John Bradshaw.
"They are becoming much more pet-like animals and will lose some of the wild instincts because many of those things don't actually serve them very well in the 21st century." The Secret Life of the Cat airs tonight on BBC Two at 9pm.
To find out more about the felines who star in the show, click here
