What is your cat up to and what else is in your garden?

Family pets and the wildlife found in home gardens often animate and fascinate homeowners and children occupying these homes. In this project, we will tap in to this fascination and curiosity to stimulate interest in research and science among children and youngsters, by engaging them in scientific research activities and demonstrating the importance of the results to society. We will fit housecats with a small GPS collar a to record outdoors activities and install wildlife cameras in home gardens across a gradient from city/town centres to more rural outskirt areas. Families with children that are cat owners will be contacted via local schools in preselected areas. Participating families will take active part in the research activities, such as data collection, investigating the results, and disseminating findings. The project will in this way use citizen science to stimulate youngsters and engaging them in addressing important social and environmental questions.

Family pets and the wildlife found in home gardens often animate and fascinate homeowners and children occupying these homes. In this project, we will tap in to this fascination and curiosity to stimulate interest in research and science among children and youngsters, by engaging them in scientific research activities and demonstrating the importance of the results to society. We will fit housecats with a small GPS collar and miniature camera to record outdoors activities and install wildlife cameras in home gardens across a gradient from city/town centres to more rural outskirt areas. Families with children that are cat owners will be contacted via local schools in preselected areas. Participating families will take active part in the research activities, such as data collection, investigating the results, and disseminating findings. The project will in this way use citizen science to stimulate youngsters and engaging them in addressing important social and environmental questions.