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Beautiful, elegant, mysterious.
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They’re the most popular
pet in the world.
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Cute, cuddly, and fun, but in
every way built for the hunt.
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One of the big appeals to me about cats,
is that they are these little,
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little wild creatures that
we share our space with.
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Is that touch of the wild
what we most admire?
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Or something we want to change?
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Can these superlative hunters
ever truly be domesticated?
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I think the cat, if it's going to persist
as a popular companion animal
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is going to have to change in some way.
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What do you really know
about the lion in your living room?
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A solitary hunter.
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One of nature’s most capable predators.
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A symbol of grace, balance, and elegance.
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It’s hard to believe that
these clumsy kittens
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have inherited the hunting prowess
of their wild ancestors.
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Kittens play a great deal.
I mean, it's one of the things
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that people find very appealing
about them, enchanting even.
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Kitten play is really just a whole load
of hunting type behaviors
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where they're
pouncing on things.
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In the wild, play hunting would
soon give way to the real thing.
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Powerful muscles, flexible bodies,
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sharp claws, the sensitive paws,
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even the delicate whiskers
all play a role
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in the graceful movements
of a true hunter.
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Surprisingly, the cat’s elegant walk is
not very efficient, compared to a dog’s.
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Their gait evolved not to save energy,
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but provide the stealth
to hide and strike.
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The same evolutionary demands have
shaped some of the cat’s cutest behaviors
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like the instinct to find
a safe place to hide from enemies
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and to leap out at prey.
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Small but powerful
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an average house cat can leap
five times its own height.
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Some even more.
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Climbing a tree in pursuit of dinner
can prove dangerous.
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One slip could end in disaster.
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Even if they fall upside down
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they can turn and land on their feet
in as little as 30 centimeters.
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That's not as simple as it sounds.
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In fact at first it seems
to defy the laws of physics.
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As the cat begins falling,
her legs rotate
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allowing her to perform a seemingly
impossible mid-air adjustment,
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all in a fraction of a second.
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Before hitting the ground all four legs
reach out to act as shock absorbers.
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An ability useful for survival,
in forest or high-rise jungle
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where their curiosity can trip them up.
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I'm Dr. Koharik Arman,
one of the veterinarians here
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at Cats Only Veterinary Clinic
located in Vancouver, BC.
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This is the time of the year now
that we start to see
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what's called high-rise syndrome.
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And what that refers to is cats falling
or jumping off of balconies
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and then ending up with injuries.
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Sometimes they come out unscathed
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and people always joke about
those nine lives that cats have,
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and sometimes it seems
there's a bit of truth to that.
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Cats can fall from really quite high
buildings and they've got a very effective
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and, presumably, completely
instinctive, spontaneous
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and very rapid strategy
for dealing with that.
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If they are-- do feel themselves
falling a long distance
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they are actually able to parachute.
They stick their legs out
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literally sideways, which
then stretches the skin of the belly,
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which does slow
their progress down.
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Like their large carnivore cousins,
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domestic cats spend most
of their time between hunts resting.
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They spend at least
half their time asleep.
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But when they move,
they can move quickly.
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A house cat can run almost 50 kilometers
an hour, at least for a short burst.
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And they have some
unique physical features
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that can get them out
of tight spaces.
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They have what are called
floating clavicles,
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so their collar bones are not
fixed in place to their skeleton.
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They're floating in their muscles and
that's how they can squeeze themselves
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into and out of very narrow spaces.
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And also they have a compressible rib
cage, which helps in that department too.
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A cat's evolutionary history
as a predator
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that stalks and pounces for the kill
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is evident in how they play, how they
move, and even in how their senses work.
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I'm Dr. Kelly St. Denis.
I own the Charing Cross Cat Clinic.
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It's an all cat clinic which makes
a really nice environment for us
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and especially for the cats. So these
kittens were born seven days ago.
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When kittens are born, they are able
to already smell fairly well
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so that allows them to find the nipple
so that they can nurse and get milk.
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They don't really hear very well, and they
certainly can't see at newborn age.
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Their ears are flapped down
and their eyes are closed.
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At about five days of age, they are able
to hear and very gradually we can see
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that their earflaps are
starting to come up
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so that they will be able to hear
much better by three weeks of age.
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Despite being born deaf,
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it's their sense of hearing that best
reveals their wild ancestry.
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A cat's ears can swivel to help them
locate the source of a sound,
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pointing backwards, forwards or sideways.
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Once mature, they can hear
two octaves higher than a human
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and a full octave higher
even than a dog.
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Cats can hear the squeaks of mice.
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And it's probably very useful to them
in hunting that they can hear
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what we call ultrasound, which is being
generated by their prey
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and enables them to track down
their prey and locate it better.
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Their ability to hear ultrasonic squeaks
too high pitched for human ears
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isn’t the biggest surprise.
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Based on their physiology, they shouldn't
be able to hear the low frequencies.
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To a biologist the really remarkable thing
about a cat's hearing
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is not that it can
hear the squeaks of mice,
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but that it can hear human voices, in
particular low-pitched male human voices.
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Come here, Mirza.
Come. Good boy.
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Which the size of its head
and the size of its ears,
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therefore dictates that it
shouldn't be able to hear.
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It’s not only the range of their hearing
that makes cats successful hunters.
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Something which I think many people don't
appreciate about the cat
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which is that it has
a very good sense of smell.
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Everybody thinks dogs are the species
with the amazing sense of smell
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and of course that is true.
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But cats are still about a thousand times
more sensitive than we are.
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The area inside the nose
dedicated to trapping smells
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is five times larger in domestic cats
than in humans.
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While we have perhaps
five million scent receptors,
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the cat has 60 million or more.
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What many cat owners don't appreciate
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is that that cats actually have
two olfactory systems.
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So you have the regular one,
which is the same one that we have,
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where the air is drawn in through the nose
and over the olfactory membranes.
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But, also, in common with
many other mammals,
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cats have a thing called
a vomeronasal organ,
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which is another olfactory organ.
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the organ itself lies between the roof
of the mouth and the nostrils.
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And they're used, this olfactory
apparatus, the vomeronasal organ
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is used when sniffing other cats.
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Smell and hearing are important
to locate prey,
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but vision provides more
detailed information.
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In about seven to fourteen days,
their eyes will open
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and they'll start to be able to see.
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They won't be able to see very well
until they're about four months of age,
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at which point their vision will be
approximately as they would for an adult.
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They can hunt in the day or night,
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but their eyes reveal
that they prefer low light.
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Cat's pupils have evolved
to protect their sensitive retinas.
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They also have these vertically
constricting pupils,
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as opposed to our round ones.
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This allows their pupillary size
to change very quickly
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from contracted to dilated
depending on what they're doing.
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These well-protected eyes
look out on a world
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that's very different
than the one we see.
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Cat's vision is pretty different
from our own.
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They don't see as much in
the way of color as we do.
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They see mostly blues and greys.
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They don't differentiate well between
orange and brown and red and green,
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but they have a few advantages
that we don't.
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They can see colors that
we can't, like ultraviolet.
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Perfect for tracking
their prey’s urine trails.
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And these aren't the only ways
in which the cats' eyes
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are adapted to hunting in the dark.
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Everybody has generally seen
those reflective eyes at night
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or in photos and that is because
of a special area on their retina,
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the back of the eye, called the tapetum
lucidum and it acts almost like a mirror.
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It's iridescent and basically
bounces light off of it
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so that then it has a second
chance to go through the lens,
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basically enabling kitties to bring
more light into their vision
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than is actually in the room
and see in the dark.
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The cat's night vision allows
it to hunt in the dark.
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But their eyes don't work
well at close range.
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What that means is that things, as they
approach the cat, will go out of focus.
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Probably around six to eight inches
away from the cat's nose,
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it starts to go out of focus.
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And also they lose binocular
vision at that point.
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They start seeing double
of things that are close to them.
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When the prey is close enough, their
whiskers can feel it's exact location.
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Whiskers are thicker than other hairs
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and are full of blood vessels
and sensitive nerve endings.
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Each of these specialized
hairs transmits information
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about how fast
and how far it's being bent,
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allowing them to chase prey through
the twists and turns of narrow tunnels,
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even in total darkness.
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This is Oswald. He is
a neutered male purebred Ragdoll,
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and he's been coming
to us since he was a kitten.
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The whiskers that most people
are familiar with in cats
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are the ones that are
at the sides of their cheeks.
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They also have whiskers, or
vibrissae is the other name for these,
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above their eye.
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Cats also have whiskers
on the inside of their paws.
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These whiskers also help
with the spatial orientation.
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It helps them to know where they
can move to in what types of spaces.
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Even the cat’s tongue has its secrets.
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Elegant creatures, they don't
lap up their drink like a dog.
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Looking closely, her tongue appears
to corkscrew as the liquid is drawn up.
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If you’ve ever been licked by a cat,
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you’ve felt
an irritating sandpaper like rasp.
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It's not the taste buds you feel,
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but tiny barbs down the center
of the tongue.
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Cats spend about 25% of their waking
hours grooming themselves.
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He's actually washing himself
or trying to wash himself on his paws.
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Cats have papillae on their tongue
that are quite rough
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which will help them with their grooming
to keep their coats healthy and mat free.
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These act like combs
when the cat is grooming,
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or like knives when stripping
the last scraps of meat from a bone.
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The cat's sense of taste is kind of
similar to ours in some ways
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because it is basically
the same mammalian pattern of taste.
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They taste with taste receptors
on their tongues.
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But in many ways it ends there.
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The kinds of things that
the cat's tongue is sensitive to
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are really quite different to ours.
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And those differences
are because this little lion
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is a hunter who has evolved
to need only meat in her diet.
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They absolutely don't have
the capacity to taste sweets.
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Because they're obligate carnivores,
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they really aren't meant to ingest
anything that has a sweet taste to it,
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so it just doesn't serve
a purpose for them.
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00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:24,160
It turns out that even the cat’s
reputation for being a finicky eater
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is about being a hunter.
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At first it may seem like a bad idea for
a wild creature to be picky about food,
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especially an animal
whose diet is so restricted.
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We now know that our domestic
pet cats do have nutritional wisdom.
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They are capable of picking out
which of a number of diets
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has the best protein content,
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because cats need
a great deal of protein in their diets.
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Far more than almost any other animal.
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And they also have a strategy
for addressing potential
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00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:58,160
future nutritional imbalances,
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which is to go out and look for
something to eat
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that is not the same
as the last meal you had.
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That's partly behind the cat's
kind of notorious fussiness.
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Rescued from a life of hunting
and scavenging,
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this cat remains very picky
about the treats that she selects.
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It's much more exaggerated,
much more easy to detect
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in cats which have had to live
on the streets, if you like.
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That have had to select a balanced
diet in order to survive and breed,
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rather than simply being offered
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00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,520
nutritionally complete food
by their owners.
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They are much fussier about what
they eat than pet cats would,
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if you can believe that.
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Born deaf, blind, and helpless,
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in the wild all that keeps them from
becoming prey to larger predators
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is their mother’s care.
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Getting that can
sometimes prove difficult.
233
00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:23,360
Accidently pushed out of the nest,
this kitten instinctively cries for help.
234
00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:29,520
Fortunately, her mother notices.
235
00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:40,520
Whether lions or leopards,
236
00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:44,720
it’s only the very young
in most cat species who meow,
237
00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:47,200
and then only to their mothers.
238
00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:55,800
But domestic cats use
this sound in other situations,
239
00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:58,400
when they want attention
240
00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,440
mostly when communicating with humans.
241
00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:07,200
Come on, Jesse, Jack!
242
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,440
Jesse, I have a treat for you.
Look, you want that?
243
00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,840
All meows are not equal.
Every cat has their own.
244
00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,240
[cat meows]
245
00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:24,360
Come here.
Finnegan, you want some din-dins?
246
00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,720
These are sounds that
can have many meanings.
247
00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:32,840
Each cat and their humans
must somehow agree on definitions.
248
00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,760
Some develop a large vocabulary.
249
00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,040
So they'll have one meow for,
"I'm hungry, feed me."
250
00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:45,920
And another one for, "Please let me
out the door," and so on.
251
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,920
And these seem to be
private languages that develop
252
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:50,520
between the cat and the owner.
253
00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,200
We know this because if you
record these different meows
254
00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,800
and then play them back
to different owners,
255
00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:00,360
the owner of the cat, of that particular
cat, will instantly recognize them.
256
00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:02,560
"That's the meow he makes when
he wants to be let out.
257
00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:04,640
That's the one he makes
when he's hungry."
258
00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:06,680
But play them to other cats' owners,
259
00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:09,880
even the owners of cats which
have a repertoire of meows,
260
00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,840
and they can't identify which is which.
261
00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:17,440
Beyond meowing,
cats have a number of vocal signals,
262
00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:19,960
not that we always understand them.
263
00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:24,360
This cat has no need to hunt for a meal.
264
00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:30,680
Still the old urges are there and they
occasionally surface in surprising ways.
265
00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,840
Some cats make a special chattering sound
266
00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,920
when they are hunting or thinking
how much they’d like to be.
267
00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,720
[chattering]
268
00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:46,800
It's not known exactly
why some cats chatter.
269
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:51,920
Whether it’s frustration,
anticipation of the kill,
270
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,240
or an attempt to lure prey by imitation.
271
00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,600
Other sounds
they make are less mysterious.
272
00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:08,960
When they're quite unhappy
we can see growling and hissing.
273
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:11,080
[hissing]
274
00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:16,000
Also certain vocalizing that--that
sounds almost basically like a caterwaul,
275
00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:17,480
a yowl, essentially.
276
00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:20,360
That's a very unhappy
and very stimulated cat.
277
00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:23,720
-[hissing and yowling]
-[dog barking]
278
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:28,880
But fortunately for us, Sybil right now is
very content and purring away happily.
279
00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:33,640
Purring is another sound
we associate with cats.
280
00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:35,800
Strangely we know little about it.
281
00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:41,640
Most people think that purring
is an expression of emotion
282
00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:43,920
as far as the cat's concerned,
that the cat is happy.
283
00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:50,680
And 9 times out of 10 that's true
but it's not the reason for the purring.
284
00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:57,640
It's doing it to try to get you or another
cat indeed to do something for it.
285
00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:02,160
Kittens purr in order to get their mothers
to settle down and nurse them.
286
00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:06,200
And so that piece of communication
goes on, is carried on into adulthood.
287
00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:08,520
[purring]
288
00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:11,400
[cat purring]
289
00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:12,560
[lion roars]
290
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:16,800
Large members of the cat family,
like lions and tigers, can’t purr.
291
00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:22,440
The roaring cats don't purr,
but some of the smaller cats purr.
292
00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:29,360
I mean, in fact, the ability to roar,
sort of produces a change in the,
293
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,320
in the vocal apparatus,
which means that you can't purr.
294
00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:35,880
Karen McComb studies
animal communication
295
00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:40,040
in large animals,
like elephants and lions.
296
00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:44,840
Then her own cat piqued her interest
in this apparently simple sound.
297
00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:50,960
This came about simply because my own cat
298
00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:55,880
was very adept at soliciting food from me.
299
00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:59,480
And, in particular, he had this sort of
wake up purring routine
300
00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:04,400
where he would start giving this
very insistent purring in the morning.
301
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:08,280
[purring]
302
00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:12,240
I thought why is it
that this particular purring is so,
303
00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:14,480
sort of, unpleasant to the ear?
304
00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:21,320
Why is it that it's, it does sound urgent
and it's--it's so difficult to ignore?
305
00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:26,880
Professor McComb compared the purrs
of a number of cats including her own.
306
00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,760
So this is the non-solicitation purr
from my cat,
307
00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:32,240
and you'll see that it's actually,
308
00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:38,160
it's a very regular purring,
classical purring type sound.
309
00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:43,040
In fact, this purr was rated as one
of the most pleasant of all the cats.
310
00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:45,680
[cat purring]
311
00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:54,200
So what I'm going to do is play you
the solicitation purr from my own cat.
312
00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:58,120
And you should be able to hear
that within the purr,
313
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:01,040
there's a sort of
a slightly whiny element.
314
00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:05,560
[higher-pitched purring]
315
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:10,680
Incredibly, Professor McComb
discovered that this solicitation purr
316
00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:14,440
was at a similar frequency
to the cry of a human baby.
317
00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:18,920
So it's got this sort
of slightly manic element to it.
318
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,240
And if you look
at the screen here,
319
00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,920
you'll see there's a dark band at,
320
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:29,640
in his case it's a bit over 400 hertz,
321
00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:35,200
but that is the sort of
cry-like frequency.
322
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:39,760
And it's there very strongly
323
00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,640
in each of the main beats of the purr.
324
00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,600
So that there is a frequency
that's sort of
325
00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:51,640
jumping out of the rest of the
sound spectrum at the point of this cry.
326
00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:58,160
And the cats have somehow tapped in to
this sensory bias that we've got
327
00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:01,920
and are using it to improve
the level of care they get.
328
00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:10,080
Solitary hunters who can get another
species to do their bidding.
329
00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:13,720
Their dual nature fascinates us.
330
00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:17,240
We watch them contentedly
rolling at our feet one moment,
331
00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:20,160
slinking off who knows
where the next.
332
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:25,480
Unlike dogs, cats have
another life usually hidden from us.
333
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:29,400
Now, thanks to modern technology,
334
00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:33,160
we are getting a glimpse
into the secret lives of cats.
335
00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:39,440
Studies reveal that
most have a pretty defined turf,
336
00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:42,880
an area they patrol on a daily basis.
337
00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,160
Often not much more than a few blocks.
338
00:24:51,360 --> 00:24:53,040
There you go, buddy.
339
00:24:53,120 --> 00:24:54,560
Off to the races.
340
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,160
This is Obie Jones.
341
00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:15,040
Of course there are exceptions, brave
explorers who travel great distances.
342
00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:18,920
This is our kitty, Kinter.
343
00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:24,080
He lives with a dog, Ruby.
344
00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:26,720
We've been tracking Kinter's adventures.
345
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:34,600
Sometimes they need to go no further
than a neighbor to get an extra treat.
346
00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,920
You know what, he comes here
and he visits us almost every day.
347
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:43,920
-Does he really?
-Yes, we love him.
348
00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,000
-He sits with my mom and dad.
-Does he really?
349
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,960
Yeah, he sits with us
and takes his little nap,
350
00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:51,480
and we give him a piece of cheese
351
00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:53,440
or a little piece of bacon
almost every day.
352
00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,760
A cat's daily patrols are
anything but random.
353
00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:03,000
It's a way for them to mark
and guard their turf.
354
00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:11,360
Even if you’ve never seen what happens
when there's a conflict over territory,
355
00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:14,000
you’ve almost certainly
heard the results.
356
00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:15,720
[cat hissing]
357
00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:17,400
[cats screeching]
358
00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:24,440
Studies find that cats often share
the same or overlapping territories.
359
00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:32,000
They simply avoid patrolling
at the same time, like feline timesharing.
360
00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:40,720
Running into rivals isn’t the only danger
facing cats living on the streets.
361
00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:47,120
The survival of great numbers
of stray cats and feral cats
362
00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:49,800
that have never known
human companionship
363
00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,640
proves their wild nature
has been preserved.
364
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,960
These undomesticated domestic cats
365
00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:01,680
give us the best vantage point
for understanding how
366
00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:05,200
these once wild animals
adapted to life with humans.
367
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,880
Cats certainly are
not domesticated completely.
368
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,920
They are--they are like
little wild creatures,
369
00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,520
and they still have
the capacity to exist without us.
370
00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:22,000
You would be hard-pressed
to find a Maltese
371
00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:26,040
or a teacup Chihuahua
who could make it on his own
372
00:27:26,120 --> 00:27:30,280
on the street and forage for food
and seek shelter
373
00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:34,520
and reproduce and all the rest.
But cats are a whole other story.
374
00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:40,840
Many cities are struggling with
large populations of cats that live all
375
00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:42,880
or some of the time on the street.
376
00:27:44,360 --> 00:27:49,120
Dealing with the feral cat explosion
is often left up to concerned neighbors.
377
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,640
The thing that means
the most is the feeling
378
00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:55,440
that when you bring a cat off the street
379
00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:58,960
that you see has either
been lost, abandoned,
380
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:01,840
shoved aside, pregnant
because they didn't want her,
381
00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:07,360
bringing that cat in,
seeing it in a home, flourish,
382
00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,600
respond to love and affection,
that's the best thing in the world.
383
00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,760
We do a lot of work with the City of
Toronto and other organizations,
384
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,080
Toronto Humane Society,
385
00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,760
and we have to figure out how to deal with
the feral cat overpopulation in the city.
386
00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:29,400
Come, mew mews.
387
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:34,280
They visit the feral cat colony,
get to know who’s who and how they relate.
388
00:28:34,360 --> 00:28:36,880
Come on guys, breakfast.
389
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:42,080
We were called to this colony
by a gentleman who was feeding cats
390
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,640
in a field and we were called out to help.
391
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,760
So when we came here,
when we came to the site,
392
00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:52,200
we found way more cats
than we ever imagined.
393
00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:56,640
Now there's probably 15 cats
left give or take.
394
00:28:56,720 --> 00:29:01,480
When we got here there was probably
closer to 40, 45 with kittens,
395
00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:04,080
and we started a trap, neuter, return.
396
00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:09,440
They feed them regularly,
trap them, have their injuries treated,
397
00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:12,960
and most importantly have them neutered.
398
00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:17,000
They may be the same species
as the animals who live in our homes,
399
00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,840
but if they aren’t exposed
to a human touch early enough,
400
00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:23,160
they will remain untamable.
401
00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:31,560
Cats who have not had socialization
with humans prior to 14 weeks of age,
402
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:36,040
they are much more prone
to be very fearful.
403
00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:38,560
Not want to approach humans.
404
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,680
Take a very long
time to establish trust.
405
00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:46,240
And are also more prone
to being fearfully aggressive.
406
00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:50,800
It's not that they can't learn to trust
humans. That capacity is still there,
407
00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:54,360
and they still do retain
some behavioral plasticity.
408
00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,240
But it can be a very long road.
409
00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:03,520
We do have patients who were feral cats,
then when they were rescued and taken in
410
00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:08,120
by their people took a matter
of months to years actually
411
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:10,760
before they established trust
with their owners.
412
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:22,040
Those who can learn to tolerate humans
can be put up for adoption,
413
00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,960
like these looking as
domestic as can be,
414
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,960
successfully adopted
from a feral colony.
415
00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:37,960
Cats that live
without humans for too long
416
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:41,560
don’t easily adapt to life with us.
417
00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:43,880
One solution is to give them shelters
418
00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,360
where they can receive
medical attention
419
00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:49,080
and live in relative comfort.
420
00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:52,920
My name's Janet Reed, and I'm the manager
here at the Number 6 Road shelter
421
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,520
for the Richmond Animal
Protection Society.
422
00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,680
And what we have here is about 500 cats
423
00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:02,880
that we take care of
because they're homeless.
424
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,320
They were cats that were born in the wild,
have never had a home,
425
00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:11,240
or maybe were dumped
and were living in the wild.
426
00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:16,080
We trap them, we spay and neuter them,
and we make sure they have their shots
427
00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,800
and vet care and then we bring them
in here so they have a place to be.
428
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:24,720
We put them in colonies.
429
00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:28,680
If they come 10, 15 at a time,
which has happened to us.
430
00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:31,480
It's a lot of cats to deal with,
but we keep them together.
431
00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:32,720
They know each other.
432
00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:36,080
We don't have to try and adapt them
to the rest of the cats at the shelter.
433
00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:40,600
And despite what everybody seems
to think, this is a cat Club Med,
434
00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:44,080
cats don't necessarily always
get along with each other.
435
00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:49,000
[hisses]
436
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,080
When the environment enables them to,
437
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:56,320
they will live together
and establish a hierarchy.
438
00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:00,560
And generally that does mean
that there's some hissing and posturing
439
00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:03,840
and fighting for a while
until that has been established.
440
00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:05,280
[yowling and hissing]
441
00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:09,720
Then if new cats try to enter,
442
00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:12,120
it's possible for them to integrate
themselves,
443
00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,200
but there will be a few tests
along the way.
444
00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:18,960
But then other times a new cat
is completely shunned
445
00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:22,160
and doesn't manage to work
their way into a colony.
446
00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:29,520
Observing feral colonies tells us
about the nature of these
447
00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:33,040
very territorial animals,
and their social lives.
448
00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:40,840
Maintaining limits and alliances
requires constant communication...
449
00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:43,760
[hissing]
450
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:47,320
messages of all kinds
being sent and received,
451
00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:50,160
displays of warning
and acknowledgment.
452
00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:55,840
One key social signal
is the straight-up tail.
453
00:32:57,640 --> 00:32:59,880
We think that the tail-up signal evolved
454
00:32:59,960 --> 00:33:04,440
from a signal that kittens use
to signal to their mothers.
455
00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:06,760
They use this around
the--the time of weaning,
456
00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:08,560
and it's seen in a number
of wildcat species,
457
00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:12,040
not just the wildcat that's
the ancestor of the domestic cat.
458
00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:15,920
And they're probably using this
as a way of greeting their mother
459
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,000
when she returns to the nest
with food for them.
460
00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:21,520
And it may be one of the ways they have
of persuading her to feed them.
461
00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,680
But in all those other species, they then
stop doing it once they reach adulthood.
462
00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:31,520
Domestic cats have taken
this kitten-to-mother signal
463
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:34,240
to a whole new level.
464
00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:39,960
When two cats approach each other,
one may raise their tail straight up.
465
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:45,240
If the other is willing to coexist,
it will respond in the same way.
466
00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:51,120
So it's meaning two things.
It’s meaning friendly intentions.
467
00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,560
"I'm approaching you in a friendly way.
I'm not about to attack you."
468
00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:59,720
And it's also acknowledging
a difference in status, if you like.
469
00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:02,840
I'm not saying that cats have
a mental conception,
470
00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:04,680
an abstract conception of status.
471
00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:09,720
But they clearly do need to indicate the
type of interaction they want to happen.
472
00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:13,400
So what they're saying is, "I'm friendly
towards you and I acknowledge
473
00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:17,640
that you are in some way
bigger or smarter than I am."
474
00:34:17,720 --> 00:34:21,360
Studying feral cats has given us
more than new insights
475
00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:22,920
into their social relations.
476
00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:32,800
Comparing DNA from various species
of cats, wild, feral, and domestic,
477
00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:36,720
large and small, from all over the world
478
00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:40,960
helped solve the mystery
of how cats evolved
479
00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:43,480
and eventually became domesticated.
480
00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:48,000
So a wildcat,
the ancestor of the domestic cat,
481
00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:50,320
is a species called Felis Silvestris.
482
00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:54,400
Felis Silvestris is
a very broad ranging species
483
00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:58,480
that branches all the way
from the tip of Scotland down to
484
00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:00,440
the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
485
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:04,520
All the way from Portugal
out to the center of China.
486
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:07,920
And there are five different
wild sub-species
487
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,840
of Felis Silvestris, the wildcat.
488
00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:14,320
One of those sub-species,
Felis Silvestris Lybica,
489
00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:16,520
lived in the Near East.
490
00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:20,320
And it's that sub-species
that gave rise to the domestic cat.
491
00:35:23,240 --> 00:35:26,080
Professor Driscoll pinpointed
this part of the Mideast
492
00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:29,880
as the center
where Felis Silvestris Lybica
493
00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:35,160
gradually transformed
into the familiar kitty, Felis Catus.
494
00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:41,240
Domestic cats of every breed,
friendly or feral,
495
00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:46,360
wherever in the world you find them,
have their genesis here.
496
00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:52,560
Their wildcat ancestors can
still be spotted outside the cities.
497
00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,360
But since they prefer to hunt
in the dark,
498
00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:04,600
it’s a lot easier if you have
local biologists to guide you.
499
00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:18,680
Fox...
500
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:40,560
This fish farm is a popular hunting spot.
501
00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:43,560
But tonight there are
no wildcats to be found.
502
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,520
These are jungle cats,
503
00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:51,920
the largest member of the family
that includes both the domestic cat
504
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,280
and their ancestor, the wildcat.
505
00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:59,400
They are drawn here
by the promise of an easy meal.
506
00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:10,200
Last night on some fishponds here,
bordering the Jordan
507
00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:13,120
we saw Felis Chaus, the jungle cat.
508
00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:15,960
And we saw how
they're becoming habituated.
509
00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:20,240
They're accustomed to human presence
and they’re following a path similar
510
00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:21,960
to what the wildcats did,
511
00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:24,680
where they're moving in out of the wild,
512
00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:28,520
and they're utilizing human habitats
and human resources
513
00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:32,600
in a way that's probably very similar
to what the wildcats would have done
514
00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:36,000
thousands of years ago
in their early stages of domestication.
515
00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:42,560
The first step in cat domestication
happened here
516
00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:47,600
thanks to a unique combination of a small
wild cat that could tolerate people
517
00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:50,000
and an abundance of wild grains.
518
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:59,280
This is the habitat where plants
and animals were domesticated,
519
00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:02,040
prior to what we see now.
520
00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:07,720
Something around 15-16 thousand
years ago till 10 thousand years ago
521
00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:09,200
people were hunter-gatherers.
522
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:13,040
They had enough to collect
and use it for their own use.
523
00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:18,600
Once people became settled that's when
cats began to move into that environment
524
00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:22,080
and began to adapt themselves
to that human environment,
525
00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:24,560
and then from there,
they eventually evolved
526
00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:27,080
into the domestic animals
they we have today.
527
00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:32,120
So in that sense, you can say
that cat domesticated human.
528
00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:37,160
He came over to where the humans were
and took advantage of what they--
529
00:38:37,240 --> 00:38:39,320
The environment that we made. Yeah.
530
00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:45,200
Some people think we domesticated cats
531
00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:48,840
so they could control
the rodents that ate our grain.
532
00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:50,960
Professor Driscoll doesn’t agree.
533
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:56,400
He doesn't believe it was mice and rats
that drew them into our homes,
534
00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:58,160
it was our garbage.
535
00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:02,600
The scene we see here is one
that’s played out here in Jerusalem
536
00:39:02,680 --> 00:39:06,440
and other cities of the ancient Near East
many thousands of times
537
00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:08,160
over the last tens of millennia.
538
00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:13,520
You have cats that are making use
of human waste and scraps,
539
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:16,160
essentially being fed by people.
540
00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:20,440
It's by this process that the wildcat
was brought into human civilizations
541
00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:24,160
and developed over time into
the domestic cat that we have today.
542
00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:29,040
Cats found our settlements
a profitable place to hang out.
543
00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:32,920
So do cats catch mice and rats?
544
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,520
Yeah, certainly they do,
and some of them are not bad at it,
545
00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:38,520
but that's not why they were domesticated.
546
00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:40,440
They were domesticated accidentally.
547
00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:42,960
When people at a later age decided
548
00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:45,200
they really wanted to get rid
of mice and rats,
549
00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:49,760
they used dogs
as specific hunters of vermin.
550
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:54,440
But what did we gain from this
arrangement if it wasn’t vermin control?
551
00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:58,800
Cats didn't have a purpose then,
they don't have a purpose now.
552
00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:00,600
I'm not sure they'll ever have a purpose,
553
00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:04,600
but they're good pets,
and that seems to have been enough
554
00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:06,320
to bring them all the way
around the world.
555
00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:09,960
Perhaps we'll never know,
556
00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:14,840
but those initial inter-species contacts
grew into admiration and more.
557
00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:21,600
The ancient Egyptians adored
and even worshiped their cats.
558
00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:28,200
Egypt was the first place that cats
were bred in captivity.
559
00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:31,280
It's a place where domestic cats lived
in high enough density
560
00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:35,200
that they're well represented in artwork
and archaeological remains
561
00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:37,360
throughout common people's houses.
562
00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:43,920
When cats were first domesticated,
probably for half of their domestication,
563
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:47,400
maybe the first five thousand years,
they would have all looked like wildcats.
564
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:51,720
That is the striped tabby.
That's the wild type coat color.
565
00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:54,640
The first changes in the cat's coat color
566
00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:56,520
were probably the appearance
of black cats,
567
00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:59,520
which is just,
in fact, the absence of color.
568
00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:03,200
The coat goes black because
the genes creating the tabby pattern
569
00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:04,800
don't work properly anymore.
570
00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:07,920
And that probably
occurred in Egypt early on.
571
00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:15,640
So you find very few cats or records of
cats outside of early Egypt at that time.
572
00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:20,400
However, the City of Alexandria was a
very large port city in the ancient world,
573
00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:26,040
and cats were able to spread from
ancient Egypt throughout all of Europe
574
00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:29,240
and North Africa
in a very brief period of time.
575
00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:31,400
[cats meowing]
576
00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:35,040
And so domestic cats boarded ships
that would carry them
577
00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:38,600
from their Mid-Eastern birthplace
to every continent on the planet.
578
00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:45,200
As they spread around the globe,
new coat colors appeared,
579
00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:49,640
one of them closely linked to,
of all things, the Vikings.
580
00:41:49,720 --> 00:41:50,760
[meows]
581
00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:54,800
Somewhere along the line,
582
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:59,000
some population of Vikings
decided they liked orange cats.
583
00:41:59,080 --> 00:42:03,600
Why orange cats were favored
is not clear.
584
00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:05,280
They're not any better mousers.
585
00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:07,880
They're not any more adept
at living on boats.
586
00:42:07,960 --> 00:42:12,000
But what you find is that
the frequency of orange cats
587
00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:15,560
is higher where
the Vikings were trading.
588
00:42:18,760 --> 00:42:21,920
Ginger or orange cats
are still most common
589
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:26,480
exactly in those areas where the Vikings
most frequently made landfall.
590
00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:36,320
Over time new coat colors appeared
and spread, most often by ship.
591
00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:40,440
I think one of the best coat-color
variations that we know about,
592
00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:44,760
where there is an association between
trade routes and a coat color,
593
00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:47,920
is with the blotched tabby.
594
00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:53,320
And we know that, that mutation
arose in Great Britain in the early 1800s.
595
00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:58,480
That was the beginning both of
modern cat breeding and the cat show.
596
00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:08,160
Cat breeding has been going on for over
a century now of actually breeding true.
597
00:43:08,240 --> 00:43:11,800
So crossing like with like,
forming breeds which,
598
00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:14,600
essentially where the offspring
look just like the parents.
599
00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:24,160
And these have been
essentially formed from
600
00:43:24,240 --> 00:43:28,560
a number of different street cats
from different parts of the world.
601
00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:32,680
Unlike dogs that were bred
for a wide range of jobs
602
00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:36,080
and so come in all different
sizes and shapes,
603
00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:39,400
cats didn’t have
any special tasks to accomplish.
604
00:43:39,480 --> 00:43:44,200
And the variation has really
just been in appearance.
605
00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:46,040
Some of it's to do with the head shape,
606
00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:48,440
obviously you have some of
the breeds like the Persians
607
00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:50,320
with the very flattened face.
608
00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:57,120
You have a great number of variations
of coat color and length.
609
00:44:02,400 --> 00:44:05,280
So many of these breeds are really
superficially different from
610
00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:10,360
your average pet cat rather
than being very different functionally.
611
00:44:11,440 --> 00:44:13,680
Some of us prefer
a particular coat color,
612
00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:16,040
thinking it's linked
to certain behaviors.
613
00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:22,360
Many believe that orange cats
are easy-going and friendly,
614
00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:25,400
while white cats are lazy or shy
615
00:44:25,480 --> 00:44:28,880
and calicos are thought
to be feisty or difficult.
616
00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:35,840
Calicos are somewhat renowned
for their temperaments.
617
00:44:35,920 --> 00:44:38,440
They make wonderful, wonderful pets.
618
00:44:38,520 --> 00:44:42,320
But they don't tend to adjust very well
to new environments and new people.
619
00:44:43,200 --> 00:44:45,360
But the connection between genes,
620
00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:48,160
coat color, and behavior
is far from clear.
621
00:44:49,200 --> 00:44:50,880
There is some genetic link.
622
00:44:50,960 --> 00:44:54,360
The genes haven't been isolated,
so nobody knows for sure.
623
00:44:55,320 --> 00:44:58,840
But the how's and why's of temperament
are increasingly important.
624
00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:03,200
Cats are instinctively solitary predators
625
00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:06,320
who patrol the hunting ground
around their homes.
626
00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:12,080
Now we want them to stay indoors,
not hunt, and to live with other animals.
627
00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:16,680
Perhaps the most serious misconception
that people have of their cats,
628
00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:19,880
at least as far as its impact
on the cat is concerned,
629
00:45:19,960 --> 00:45:23,280
is this idea that cats get along.
630
00:45:23,360 --> 00:45:28,520
That having one cat is good, having two
cats could not be anything but better.
631
00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:30,520
Now it may be better for the owner,
632
00:45:30,600 --> 00:45:33,960
but the likelihood is that it's not going
to be better for the cats.
633
00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:38,160
That if they're not introduced
to one another very carefully,
634
00:45:38,240 --> 00:45:42,480
then those two cats will end
up being more stressed
635
00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:47,000
for the rest of their lives than they
would have been if they lived apart.
636
00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:51,800
For every household
where cats happily co-exist,
637
00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:54,280
there are many others
where our pets suffer
638
00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:56,280
because of the proximity of rivals.
639
00:45:59,160 --> 00:46:04,360
Living with other cats is not the most
difficult demand we are suddenly placing
640
00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:06,760
on the instincts of our favorite pets.
641
00:46:09,760 --> 00:46:11,360
There's no doubt we love them.
642
00:46:11,440 --> 00:46:15,400
But there are some behaviors
that most of us could do without.
643
00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:20,960
Where we once took pride
in their talents as hunters,
644
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:24,760
now we are ashamed of their
seemingly ferocious nature.
645
00:46:31,120 --> 00:46:32,680
[wings fluttering]
646
00:46:37,240 --> 00:46:40,960
It's certainly true that cats have been
getting a lot of bad press recently
647
00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:44,560
in terms of their role as hunters,
as surplus killers,
648
00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:48,920
animals which go out and kill for the fun
of it as people would have it.
649
00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:52,040
The first thing to dispel is that
they're not doing it for the fun of it.
650
00:46:52,120 --> 00:46:55,920
They're doing it because it’s a piece
of very instinctive behavior
651
00:46:56,000 --> 00:46:58,080
that they've inherited
from their wild ancestors.
652
00:46:58,160 --> 00:47:00,640
And more than that,
during domestication,
653
00:47:00,720 --> 00:47:03,040
we've actually encouraged
them to continue to do that.
654
00:47:04,240 --> 00:47:07,160
And there is concern
about the long term effects
655
00:47:07,240 --> 00:47:10,520
of our cats on wildlife populations.
656
00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:15,400
However, Bradshaw thinks that our pets
are only a small part of the problem.
657
00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:19,040
He believes a larger part
may be due to feral cats.
658
00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:23,880
But nevertheless,
a dead bird is a dead bird.
659
00:47:23,960 --> 00:47:27,760
I think you have to admit that cats are
doing something which is unnecessary
660
00:47:27,840 --> 00:47:30,600
It may not be permanently
damaging to the populations,
661
00:47:30,680 --> 00:47:33,840
but if you are concerned
for the welfare of wildlife,
662
00:47:33,920 --> 00:47:37,440
and many people are, then cats
are not really doing the right thing.
663
00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:41,000
A lot of slaughter or a little?
664
00:47:41,080 --> 00:47:44,480
Can’t we just eliminate it
by keeping our cats inside
665
00:47:44,560 --> 00:47:48,760
where they will also be safe
from predators, fights, and traffic?
666
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:52,880
There's a really big debate on whether
667
00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:55,560
people should keep their cats
indoors or outdoors.
668
00:47:55,640 --> 00:48:00,840
And certainly outdoors will provide the
cat with more environmental enrichment,
669
00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:05,680
in terms of being able to explore
the outdoor environment.
670
00:48:05,760 --> 00:48:08,560
The problem with being an outdoor cat,
I would say, is that there are
671
00:48:08,640 --> 00:48:10,640
significantly more health risks out there,
672
00:48:10,720 --> 00:48:13,440
so they are more likely
to get attacked by other animals,
673
00:48:13,520 --> 00:48:18,400
they are more likely to get into fights
with other cats, they can get hit by cars.
674
00:48:18,480 --> 00:48:24,320
Asking our cats to stay indoors
is not as straightforward as it seems.
675
00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:29,080
We expect them to be happy and the reality
is because they are hunters,
676
00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:32,600
they need to have stimulation,
they need to be doing things,
677
00:48:32,680 --> 00:48:36,200
and what's happening now
is we're starting to recognize that
678
00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:39,480
they're anxious or bored
in their indoor environment.
679
00:48:39,560 --> 00:48:44,840
For thousands of years, we had
a mutual understanding, a contract.
680
00:48:44,920 --> 00:48:48,440
Suddenly we want to rewrite the terms.
681
00:48:48,520 --> 00:48:54,120
We are asking these territorial creatures
to tolerate other animals,
682
00:48:54,200 --> 00:48:57,600
live happily inside, and abandon hunting.
683
00:48:58,680 --> 00:49:02,320
We're expecting the cat to make a big
change from being essentially
684
00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:04,480
a predator that we kept in our homes
685
00:49:04,560 --> 00:49:06,320
and got some companionship from
686
00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:11,560
as a secondary function to being an animal
which is first and foremost a companion
687
00:49:11,640 --> 00:49:14,920
and really nothing else,
and we don't want it to go hunting.
688
00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:20,480
I think the cat, if it's going to persist
as a popular companion animal,
689
00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:22,480
is going to have to change in some way.
690
00:49:25,160 --> 00:49:30,480
The key to the survival of the domestic
cat may already be in their genes.
691
00:49:30,560 --> 00:49:35,520
If their wild nature is hard wired,
so is their adaptability.
692
00:49:38,440 --> 00:49:42,960
It’s made our 10,000 year long
journey together possible.
693
00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:49,840
They've thrived under our thatched roofs,
in our palaces, barns, and apartments.
694
00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:52,840
And it will guarantee these little lions
695
00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:56,880
a comfortable place in our lives
for a long time to come.