DOCUMENTARY WATCH

Man's Heritage: The Cat Connection

Pearl, 8.30pm

The cat is an ancient animal, designed and refined over millions of years to be a top predator. So how and why do we share our homes with them? This programme reveals how the feline entered the human domain more than 4,000 years ago in Egypt, where it was crucial for hunting grain-eating rodents. For such a notoriously elusive creature, it is remarkable the cat ever joined humans at all. It is possible the whole world of domestic cats descended from the kittens of one particularly brave female. Today, domestic and feral cats live on virtually every continent.

This programme examines the make-up of this supreme predator and its specialised body plan. Whether wild or domestic, their whole development and behaviour is geared towards refining the hunter within. Although well integrated in our homes, cats have a secret life of their own and it's one we are only just beginning to understand.

Cats have been clever in playing the pet and human companion without forfeiting their wildness. Loved by some, hated by others, cats are remarkable, affectionate, independent, clean pets that make few demands.