Horizon: The Secret Life of the Cat

Cats are the most enigmatic of domestic animals. They’re beautiful creatures, but would we really want them sitting on our laps if we knew where they’d been? This film – part of BBC2’s feline mini season – centres around a great, simple idea. Why not track the moggies of a single locality (in this case, Shamley Green in Surrey) using GPS and collar-cam? What mouse-bothering, bird-pouncing, territorial pissings might ensue?

Fascinatingly, the main conclusion is that cats, like most of us, do the bare minimum and no more. The cats of Shamley Green are comparatively ineffectual hunters. But they are very keen on sneaking into each others houses and stealing bits of each other’s food. The moral? Surrey cats are pussies; posh, jaded and spoiled. Track the cats of Hackney if you want some real thrills and spills. Still, it’s good fun, emphasising the wildness that still co-exists uneasily with feline domesticity.