Mog on the Tyne: Cat Location Information and Human-Cat Relationships in North East England

The domestic cat is unique as a companion animal in the UK, moving freely between households and interacting with humans beyond their guardians’ supervision. These interactions provide a novel, nonhuman animal driven route for social cohesion and information exchange within a community. As companion animal technology grows, it is crucial to understand its impact on the human-cat relationship beyond individual owners. This study investigates that question in North East England through a reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews covering a range of different human-cat relationships. Our analysis shows that free-roaming cats create a flow of information exchange between households in their neighborhoods, and that interest in the potential of information technology explicating such information is an untapped source of potential. We discuss how this ties into the notion of the “catscape” and how it may extend some of the benefits associated with companion animal guardianship beyond the individual guardians.