Who shares their lives Cateo Even in the house, they know that it is not right to know where it is Animal To a good part of the day. Except when they are in contact, they ask for food or star Enlarge From one place to another, cats are real experts in the stealth art. They slide through the rooms, install them in their favorite fluffy places, often switch from one to the other to the other, and are not overlooked with jealousy. This unique nature is still intriguing when talking about cats with the outside access, Do they start with great adventures or do they want to be close to their home?
To put some light in this mystery, a group of researchers and postgraduate students of the Norwegian Life Science University (NMPU) is one of the largest surveillance studies carried out in a small city in East Norway. Fitted GPS devices, 92 cats They were monitored in everyday departments. Results, published Scientific statementsAlthough cats enjoy their outdoor lubrication, they are very rarely departing from their home.
This program not only allowed home cats to understand the regional behavior but also introduced interesting things The concept of ‘cat landscape’ or ‘Catescke‘Bhaktan’Provide a new perspective on how these cats interact with their immediate environment.
Around the corner
The investigation confirmed what other European initiatives already pointed out: most cats are not brave researchers, but sensible neighbors. Cats showed the data on average, passed 79% of your outdoor time less than 50 meters from your home. In addition, even though some people tour, exceptionally, several kilometers of distances, the average maximum displacement did not reach 352 meters.
“Some people traveled far too far, but it is exceptions,” says Richard Bishoff, the leading writer of the study. Therefore, from imagining the best trips, the truth of a cat that can be accessed outside is to look at the nearby gardens or by viewing its landscape.
‘Landscape of cats’, a collective view
One of the most important ideas that arose from this study is ‘concept’Catescke‘(The word that combines the words CatCat, and Area areaTerrain), or the landscape of cats.
Instead of studying each cat individually, researchers decided to look at how All cats used the place together. To do this, they mapped their movements in a square kilometer area. Thus they could see which parts traveled, they rarely touched, and how the cat’s population was designed for their surroundings.
“We usually think of the population of animals as a collection of individuals or a number,” says NMPU Professor Richard Bishoff. “We propose to look at that population as a surface that extends and interacts with the landscape.”
This approach allows not only the personal habits of cats but also to understand Its joint impact In the environment, from the use of green areas to its predatory effect on local animals.
Influence factors
The variation between cats is one of the best results of the project. Study Bjarne O. Braustad.
Another important factor Reproductive state Of animals. Most of the cats participating in this study were caught up, which significantly affects their course of magic. “Casted cats tend to be close to the house” that B. Says Prattastad.
In addition, many cats dedicate to relax a portion of their time, and are less than their caregivers, such as care or sleep, rather than large displacements.
The success of the study is unlikely to be cooperated with cats without the active cooperation. After the collection and analysis of the data, those responsible for the cats received digital maps, which showed the ways of their animals.
Although this project is focused on mapping cat movements, the responsible people recognize that there is an important issue for the investigation: The impact of home cats on local animals. Contacts with birds, small mammals or other animals are priority parts of the study for future investigations.
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