![]() Others managed pigeons and squirrels these are large prey in comparison to the body size of a cat. Some cats brought intact eggs back to the home there was even the occasional weasel (which are small but quick predators themselves). Robins and blackbirds often feed on the ground and are an easier target than ‘tree types’. Wood mice are common in urban and sub-urban areas interestingly, not a single house mouse was recorded. In her results, wood miceaccounted for some 40% of the prey . Thomas This allowed her not only to identify the prey, but also to determine the sex of the animal, and whether it was ajuvenile or mature etc. When the cats brought in prey, the volunteers rang or emailed Dr. This was important in that it allowed the seasonal changes in the pattern of predation to be analysed. She ‘enlisted’ the help of some 250 cat owners and e ach owner kept a ‘ prey diary’ over a 2 year period, not continuously – but for six weeks in each of the seasons. In the BBC program / podcast, Rebecca Thomas discussed her research on the cat population in Reading. and they are predators even when they are well fed. There are approximately 10 million cats in the U.K. However, more recently, the BBC’s Wildlife program focused on domestic cats and wildlife. A kitten has been found buried alongside human remains in Cyprus this dates from some nine and half thousand years ago. It is possible that cats are descended from african wildcats that 'self - domesticated' somewhere in the Near East. Though the association with humans probably pre-dates their domestication, recent research suggests that cats were attracted to ancient farming villages - perhaps by the supply of rodents (rats / mice). ![]() It has been suggested that the Egyptians were the first to domesticate the wild cat. Cats have been been 'domesticated' for many thousands of years, and currently stand as the most popular pet in the world (according to Wikipedia).
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