Space use and preferred places among domestic cats in Ås, south-eastern Norway

Abstract

Cats are popular pets and are usually allowed to roam free when owners let them out of the house. The home range size of cats has been well studied, but we know very little about how cats use the space within their home range. In this study, I examine whether cats have preferred places within their home range where they spend a lot of time, and if so, where these are located. I also investigate whether several cats use preferred places and share them, or if they are largely occupied by a single individual. To achieve this, cat owners were recruited from four adjoining neighbourhoods in Ås, a small university town in south-eastern Norway. The aim was to recruit and track the outdoor movements of the entire cat population within this area. The cats were tracked with a GPS unit attached to a collar, and when they spent a lot of time in one area they would create a cluster of GPS fixes. These clusters from the tracking data would be identified as a preferred spot. Results show that all cats had preferred locations within their home range where they spend a significant proportion of their time while outside. These preferred spots were close to home and most of their time was spent in gardens. Up to four cats could share a site, however, the most common was that only one cat used a site. Male cats travelled further than female cats, had their preferred spots more spread out and shared more sites. Older cats moved less than younger cats and spent more time in one place, whereas younger cats walked more between sites they used. These findings suggest that wildlife living in urban areas and using gardens have a high risk of encountering cats and are more exposed to cat predation.