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.

Click here to subscribe to our channel https://bbc.in/3VyyriM

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 "catnavs" 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’s 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 daytoday challenges stray cats face.

And just how "domestic" 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.

Check out more videos on amazing animals here:    • Amazing animals  

Image credit: Rachel Butler


This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel.
If you like what we do, you can also find us here:
Instagram   / bbcworldservice  
Twitter   / bbcworldservice  
Facebook   / bbcworldservice  
BBC World Service website https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio

Thanks for watching and subscribing!
#BBCWorldService #WorldService