On the tiles
June 13, 2013 4:46 AM Subscribe
The BBC put cameras, GPS and mics on 50 domestic cats to find out what they get up to. The link shows the movements of ten within their village in Surrey with a highlight video for each.
Oh man, Orlando's video was a nasty surprise when watched without sound at work.
30 seconds of commercial to watch a cat barf? Thanks BBC - I can see that almost any day of the week in my own home. Commercial free.
posted by aught at 5:13 AM on June 13, 2013 [16 favorites]
30 seconds of commercial to watch a cat barf? Thanks BBC - I can see that almost any day of the week in my own home. Commercial free.
posted by aught at 5:13 AM on June 13, 2013 [16 favorites]
I call this inaccurate. Not enough footage shown of cats taking selfies and uploading them.
posted by Kitteh at 5:14 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 5:14 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
30 seconds of commercial to watch a cat barf?
Huh, AdBlockPlus must be working again. Greatest thing on the internet.
posted by DU at 5:18 AM on June 13, 2013 [5 favorites]
Huh, AdBlockPlus must be working again. Greatest thing on the internet.
posted by DU at 5:18 AM on June 13, 2013 [5 favorites]
TIL: Cats are very loud walkers.
You would be too if the microphone was strapped to your crotch.
(brb registering domain name.)
posted by DigDoug at 5:20 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
You would be too if the microphone was strapped to your crotch.
(brb registering domain name.)
posted by DigDoug at 5:20 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Love the camera angle from under the kittehs' chins. And that footage of Ginger and the rival cat at night was incredibly spooky.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:32 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:32 AM on June 13, 2013
The cats spent far longer outside that I was expecting. Where was all the footage of them fast asleep on warm windowsills? Instead it looked like they were roaming about outside all day. If it were my three being studied, the GPS records would have barely got any further than the bedroom windowsill, the food bowl and a very brief foray into the back garden to nap on the wall and chase bees.
posted by talitha_kumi at 5:33 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by talitha_kumi at 5:33 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
I CAN HAZ SURVEILLANCE STATE
posted by oulipian at 5:35 AM on June 13, 2013 [15 favorites]
posted by oulipian at 5:35 AM on June 13, 2013 [15 favorites]
collecting meowtadata...I got nothin
posted by Teakettle at 5:41 AM on June 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Teakettle at 5:41 AM on June 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
The cats spent far longer outside that I was expecting.
Yeah, that one cat was outside for 3 minutes. Out of only 24 hours!
posted by DU at 5:47 AM on June 13, 2013
Yeah, that one cat was outside for 3 minutes. Out of only 24 hours!
posted by DU at 5:47 AM on June 13, 2013
GPS tracking data was filtered to discard obvious false readings
Does that mean the cats took off the cameras and attached them to cars or something?
posted by mediareport at 6:03 AM on June 13, 2013 [7 favorites]
Does that mean the cats took off the cameras and attached them to cars or something?
posted by mediareport at 6:03 AM on June 13, 2013 [7 favorites]
Wandering about being assholes I bet.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 6:16 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by GallonOfAlan at 6:16 AM on June 13, 2013
Turns out that my imagining of what cats do when we aren't around is much more interesting than the reality.
posted by payoto at 6:26 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by payoto at 6:26 AM on June 13, 2013
I feel like I've read about similar projects that have been done elsewhere in the world. Am I just making this up?
posted by C'est la D.C. at 6:27 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by C'est la D.C. at 6:27 AM on June 13, 2013
I clicked through the various cats, but didn't watch any of the videos, so doubly-ignorant curious American question here: are these cats spayed or neutered? Because a lot of the American places I've lived in, it's illegal to let your intact pets wander free-range.
posted by joyceanmachine at 6:37 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by joyceanmachine at 6:37 AM on June 13, 2013
I clicked through the various cats, but didn't watch any of the videos, so doubly-ignorant curious American question here: are these cats spayed or neutered? Because a lot of the American places I've lived in, it's illegal to let your intact pets wander free-range.
Almost certainly. In the UK it is standard practice to get cats neutered.
posted by Decani at 6:42 AM on June 13, 2013
Almost certainly. In the UK it is standard practice to get cats neutered.
posted by Decani at 6:42 AM on June 13, 2013
a lot of the American places I've lived in, it's illegal to let your intact pets wander free-range.
I've lived in a lot of American places, and have responsibly taken my cats to numerous vets, and I've never ever ever heard of any law remotely like this.
posted by DU at 6:43 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
I've lived in a lot of American places, and have responsibly taken my cats to numerous vets, and I've never ever ever heard of any law remotely like this.
posted by DU at 6:43 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Standard practice, but not a legal requirement. I don't think I know anyone with a cat that hasn't been neutered.
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 6:44 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 6:44 AM on June 13, 2013
I feel like I've read about similar projects that have been done elsewhere in the world. Am I just making this up?
No, I don't think you are, and in fact I think there's been a similar post on the blue somewhat recently. Anyone?
posted by scratch at 6:49 AM on June 13, 2013
No, I don't think you are, and in fact I think there's been a similar post on the blue somewhat recently. Anyone?
posted by scratch at 6:49 AM on June 13, 2013
It was like in Gaiman's Dream of a Thousand Cats but since there was only 50 the best they could do was make milk bottles go back to foil tops rather than the plastic peel away ones.
posted by longbaugh at 7:07 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by longbaugh at 7:07 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
I can see why you'd attach cameras and GPS to the cats, but mice? That just seems cruel. Although perhaps they were trained to operate the cameras?
posted by yoink at 7:16 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by yoink at 7:16 AM on June 13, 2013
I just jumped watching Ginger's video. MRWOOOOOOORRRRRGH BASH PAT BASH
I have whatever the broodiness equivalent is for cats and dogs, so I always enjoy seeing my friend's cat. Last weekend, he was in the garden in a Mexican standoff with a huge red/brown cat in the bush. As the other cat walked away, I don't think I've ever seen a cat move so slowly.
posted by mippy at 7:20 AM on June 13, 2013
I have whatever the broodiness equivalent is for cats and dogs, so I always enjoy seeing my friend's cat. Last weekend, he was in the garden in a Mexican standoff with a huge red/brown cat in the bush. As the other cat walked away, I don't think I've ever seen a cat move so slowly.
posted by mippy at 7:20 AM on June 13, 2013
No comments about the cats but Deebee's video with the basketball goal centered on the wall between 4 large windows just seems to be begging for trouble!
posted by dukes909 at 7:26 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by dukes909 at 7:26 AM on June 13, 2013
As the other cat walked away, I don't think I've ever seen a cat move so slowly.
If there were a print rhetorical equivalent to this, there might be a lot fewer flamewars in Internet comments pages. "Not going to take the troll bait, just log off reallllllly slowwwwwwly."
posted by aught at 7:41 AM on June 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
If there were a print rhetorical equivalent to this, there might be a lot fewer flamewars in Internet comments pages. "Not going to take the troll bait, just log off reallllllly slowwwwwwly."
posted by aught at 7:41 AM on June 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
Also, we've gotten this far and no one's mentioned Franzen yet?
posted by aught at 7:42 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by aught at 7:42 AM on June 13, 2013
Why do they not sell consumer-level GPS/camera sets for cats? It's an underserved market.
posted by jeather at 8:17 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by jeather at 8:17 AM on June 13, 2013
Why do they not sell consumer-level GPS/camera sets for cats? It's an underserved market.
I'd buy one for my 18-y.o. kitty except it would mostly give me hours and hours of footage of the lining of the cat bed.
posted by aught at 9:13 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'd buy one for my 18-y.o. kitty except it would mostly give me hours and hours of footage of the lining of the cat bed.
posted by aught at 9:13 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'd buy one for my 18-y.o. kitty except it would mostly give me hours and hours of footage of the lining of the cat bed.
That's a software problem, not a hardware problem.
posted by straight at 9:28 AM on June 13, 2013
That's a software problem, not a hardware problem.
posted by straight at 9:28 AM on June 13, 2013
The interface on this is really nice, except for the thoroughly annoying commercials. The below-the-chin view was tough - you just so badly want to see where they're focusing.
The world of cats is so intense. My vet once told me "cats are our wildest domesticated species," meaning they have not changed terribly much since humans took them in.
posted by Miko at 9:34 AM on June 13, 2013
The world of cats is so intense. My vet once told me "cats are our wildest domesticated species," meaning they have not changed terribly much since humans took them in.
posted by Miko at 9:34 AM on June 13, 2013
The below-the-chin view was tough - you just so badly want to see where they're focusing.
But, but, but you got to see their whiskers! And you got to see their whiskers go down when they were interested in foxes etc.
In short, we have video evidence for kitty vigilance!
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 9:52 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
But, but, but you got to see their whiskers! And you got to see their whiskers go down when they were interested in foxes etc.
In short, we have video evidence for kitty vigilance!
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 9:52 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, go see Rosie catch a moth. These cats live way exciting lives!
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 9:53 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 9:53 AM on June 13, 2013
Aww, they've changed the title of Orlando's video and now there are SPOILERS! I was hoping to send it to a few unsuspecting people.
posted by andraste at 4:55 PM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by andraste at 4:55 PM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Here's the making-of! (region-blocked so you'll have to find a way to watch iPlayer content, totally worth it)
posted by avocet at 8:45 AM on June 24, 2013
posted by avocet at 8:45 AM on June 24, 2013
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posted by ominous_paws at 5:08 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]