ITV - The Story of Cats Series 1 (2016) Part 1 Wild at Heart

The Story Of Cats Series 1

Wildlife series comparing the behaviour of domestic felines to big cats in the wild. Our domestic moggies are the latest adaptation of the cats that first appeared in the forests of south-east Asia. And while you might not think so when you look at your own cat slumped in front of the fire, they still share some fascinating character traits with their bigger wild cousins. From agility to territory marking to hunting, it’s surprising how much our cats have retained. What’s equally surprising is how some people relate to our bigger feline friends. Take Kevin Richardson, who looks after rescue lions in South Africa. “They’re super-friendly, super-nice,” he says, cheerfully, as he’s promptly wrestled to the ground by a hulking great lioness. But all the time he’s watching their every move, and he’s got some handy hints for gauging your own cat’s state of mind.

Part 1 Wild at Heart

In the first episode and for the first time ever, the programme compares the humble moggy with their big cat cousins, gaining surprising insights into the entire cat family. In Africa, lion whisperer Kevin Richardson proves how similar domestic pets are to the fearsome big cats and why there's more to feline communication than meets the eye. In the thick jungles of South East Asia, the series discovers which sabre-tooth wild cat has given tabbies their gravity defying climbing skills and in Namibia, shows how a strange looking cat called a caracal has given them the ability to jump over three metres and catch birds in flight, inspiring the phrase “put the cat amongst the pigeons”. To truly understand the world’s most beloved purring pets, there needs to be an understanding of their wild relatives.

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