Every dog has his day - but the nights are reserved for the cats.

May 9, 2014 1:33 AM

What is known about urban feral / outdoor feline activity cycles?

I notice a lot of cats out around 1AM in my downtown neighborhood, and when my own indoor kitty went missing for a few days it seemed like there were additional times (dawn and dusk, maybe?) when the neighborhood cats were especially evident. Would season affect these habits?

posted by unmake to Pets & Animals (3 answers total)

There was a recent BBC documentary which tracked outdoor British cats and their various activities. The presentation was unbearably twee but there might have been some facts in there somewhere. Full documentary here.
posted by mymbleth at 2:03 AM on May 9, 2014

Cats are crepuscular. They're most active at dawn and dusk.
posted by empath at 4:37 AM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Just to clarify - I'm specifically wondering about street cats, in cities (empath's link mostly describes indoor animals), and if research or citations are available.
posted by unmake at 11:35 AM on May 9, 2014