Northern Beaches Council is recruiting local cats - and their human owners - to take part in an international research project to discover where cats roam by using GPS trackers.

Northern Beaches Council General Manager Environment & Infrastructure Ben Taylor said the information will be used to provide tips on how to better protect both cats and local wildlife.

“Domestic cats provide great enjoyment and companionship, though not all pet cats are well managed. The impact of cats on native wildlife is a significant conservation issue on the Northern Beaches and more generally across Australia,” Mr Taylor said.

“We hope the study leads to improvements in the care of domestic cats and protection of wildlife.”

The Cat Tracker Project is an international collaboration between the Discovery Circle in Australia, the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences (USA), and Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand).

People who want to participate are initially invited to fill out an online survey, which includes a cat personality test. Then, if they would like to track their cats, they’ll be sent a GPS tracker. Once they have completed the tracking, they will receive a report on their cat’s personality and where their cat goes. The program will start later this year

Cat Tracker research undertaken in North Carolina has yielded some intriguing results.

“Interestingly, it appears that urban cats don’t travel very far and usually stick to the built environment. By collaborating with the Northern Beaches community, we hope to get a better understanding of cat behaviour here too,” Mr Taylor said.

To find out more and to register for your cat to take part in the project, book your place at an information talk on August 15, 6:30 – 7:30pm at the brand new Glen Street Library or contact Northern Beaches Council’s Environment Officer Jillian Macintyre on (02) 9942 2913 or by email to Jillian.Macintyre@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au