Research overview: GPS tracking of pet cat roaming behaviour

Lightweight GPS devices have allowed researchers to map where pet cats actually go when allowed outdoors, revealing often-surprising ranges and patterns. This overview surveys tracking studies across countries that quantify home-range size, time spent away, proximity to roads and natural areas, and individual variation, with many cats staying close to home but some ranging widely. It examines how these data inform predation risk to wildlife, the cats' own exposure to hazards, and debates over containment, and how factors like age, sex, neuter status and urbanization shape movement. The survey highlights how GPS and accompanying camera or accelerometer data have transformed understanding of free-roaming cat ecology, providing objective evidence to replace assumptions about how far and where companion cats travel.