Here's what happened when researchers connected a camera to 16 cats and left them in search of their neighborhood



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The researchers placed small cameras on 16 cats and let them roam in their neighborhood. Some of the findings might dispel some misconceptions about felines. (Photo credit: happyframe / iStock at Getty Images Plus)

Since the cameras have become smaller and more portable, scientists are attaching them to animals – sharks (to see how they hunt their prey) to penguins (to see how they communicate with each other in the icy waters of the island). 39; Antarctica).

However, researchers do not have much to do with cats as it may be difficult to work with them, according to Science magazine. An ecologist is trying to change that with a new study of 16 cats and 16 small cameras.

Maren Huck, behavioral ecologist at the University of Derby in the UK, set up small cameras on 16 cats and followed them for up to four years while they were prowling around their neighborhoods.

His discoveries, published in the journal Applied animal behavior science, provided interesting information on the behavior of felines.

On the one hand, they are not lazy as you think. "Cats are considered relatively lazy, especially when it comes to dogs. But we saw that when they were outside, they became superalts, "said Huck Science magazine. "They swept their environment, sometimes for half an hour or more."

They could also be sociable enough. "[Even] Although the cats are very territorial, they did not always fight with the other cats they met, "Huck said. "Often, they sat a few meters apart for half an hour. They may have evaluated themselves. Sometimes they greeted each other by touching their noses briefly.

The ecologist also said Science Magazine cameras could also help better understand how to improve their quality of life as a pet. "There is also a debate about whether cats should stay indoors all the time. If we find that cats seem more bored or stressed when they are kept indoors – for example, stepping in, like some animals at the zoo, that means we need to think more about enriching their lives at the same time. 39 inside or give them time outside "Huck said.

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