Changes

The size of the territorial range of cats (home range) varies between feral and pet cats, male and female cats and neutered and entire cats. Although evidence regarding the absolute size of home ranges is inconsistent between studies performed in different countries and habitats, intact male home ranges are, on average, three times larger than intact female home ranges <ref>Liberg, O., Sandell, M., Pontier, D., Natoli, E. (2000) Density, spatial organization and reproductive tactics in the domestic cat and other felids. Pp. 119-148 In: D. C. Turner and P. Bateson (eds.). ''The Domestic Cat: the biology of its behavior''. 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.</ref>. The same author found that pet females in Sweden had home ranges of around 30-40 hectares and rarely roamed further than 600m from their homes<ref>Liberg, O. (1980) Spacing patterns in a population of rural free roaming domestic cats. ''Oikos''. 38, 336-349.</ref>, and feral females had home ranges that were about four times larger than those of pet females<ref>Liberg, O. (1984) Home range and territoriality in free ranging house cats. Acta Zoologica Fennica. 171, 283-285.</ref>. It appears that '''male home range size is determined by the availability of reproductive opportunities''', whilst that of '''females is governed by the availability of food'''. Range size has been found to vary between 0.1 hectare in a Japanese fishing village to 170 hectares in the Australian bush<ref name="Bradshaw">Bradshaw, J.W.S (1992) The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat. ''CABI'', Oxford, UK.</ref>, indicating that cats do not have a specific need to maintain a large territory, only to hold sufficient territory to satisfy specific survival needs.

The size of the territorial range of cats (home range) varies between feral and pet cats, male and female cats and neutered and entire cats. Although evidence regarding the absolute size of home ranges is inconsistent between studies performed in different countries and habitats, intact male home ranges are, on average, three times larger than intact female home ranges <ref>Liberg, O., Sandell, M., Pontier, D., Natoli, E. (2000) Density, spatial organization and reproductive tactics in the domestic cat and other felids. Pp. 119-148 In: D. C. Turner and P. Bateson (eds.). ''The Domestic Cat: the biology of its behavior''. 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.</ref>. The same author found that pet females in Sweden had home ranges of around 30-40 hectares and rarely roamed further than 600m from their homes<ref>Liberg, O. (1980) Spacing patterns in a population of rural free roaming domestic cats. ''Oikos''. 38, 336-349.</ref>, and feral females had home ranges that were about four times larger than those of pet females<ref>Liberg, O. (1984) Home range and territoriality in free ranging house cats. Acta Zoologica Fennica. 171, 283-285.</ref>. It appears that '''male home range size is determined by the availability of reproductive opportunities''', whilst that of '''females is governed by the availability of food'''. Range size has been found to vary between 0.1 hectare in a Japanese fishing village to 170 hectares in the Australian bush<ref name="Bradshaw">Bradshaw, J.W.S (1992) The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat. ''CABI'', Oxford, UK.</ref>, indicating that cats do not have a specific need to maintain a large territory, only to hold sufficient territory to satisfy specific survival needs.

The home ranges of neutered male and female domestic pet cats are likely to be smaller than their feral counterparts, and in one UK study were found to be 0.45 and 0.27 hectares respectively<ref name="Bradshaw" />. This reflects the high-density food resources, the close proximity of hunting, resting and latrine locations, and competition for space between the numerous cats in a typical suburban area. Home range size is inversely proportional to population density<ref name="Bradshaw" />.

The home ranges of neutered male and female domestic pet cats are likely to be smaller than their feral counterparts, and in one UK study were found to be 0.45 and 0.27 hectares respectively<ref name="Bradshaw" />. This reflects the high-density food resources, the close proximity of hunting, resting and latrine locations, and competition for space between the numerous cats in a typical suburban area. Home range size appears to be inversely proportional to population density<ref name="Bradshaw" />.

==Core Territory==

==Core Territory==