Research overview: anti-predator and vigilance behaviour in cats

Even as predators, cats must avoid being killed, and anti-predator behaviour shapes their activity and space use. This overview surveys research on vigilance, refuge use, and avoidance in domestic and wild felids, including how smaller cats avoid larger competitors and predators, how free-ranging and feral cats balance hunting against risk, and how perceived threat alters activity timing and habitat choice. It discusses defensive displays, flight, and the use of elevated and concealed positions. It connects risk management to ranging, hunting, and welfare. The topic illustrates how cats, as mesopredators and prey to larger carnivores, integrate caution into their everyday behavioural decisions.