When does the cat roam : temporal patterns of pet cat (Felis catus) roaming in Norway

The domestic cats (felis catus) are popular pet animals, and their population is growing worldwide. As a natural predator, cats roaming outside raise conservation concerns. It is thereby important to know when and where cats interact with wildlife, especially endangered species. This study GPS tracked 111 free-roaming pet cats in Oslo, Viken, Vestfold and Telemark counties in Norway. Each cat was tracked 7 days while spending time outside. The result demonstrated apparent differences between cats living in urban areas and suburban/rural areas. Urban cats spent less time roaming (p = 0.009) and roamed mainly during the day. Suburban and rural cats roamed both day and night. The residence context is the factor most associated with all roaming patterns. Gender is moderately associated with circadian patterns. Age and how cats accessed the outdoors do not affect circadian patterns. The result suggest that urban cats have a circadian pattern more synchronized with human activity, while suburban and rural cats roam in a manner like feral cats. To protect endangered species sharing their habitat with pet cats, restricting the cats’ access to outdoor roaming and motivate cat owner for more interaction with their cat at home can be a solution. In the region where this experiment was conducted, free roaming cats will not threaten endangered bird species, because they occupy different temporal niches