Cat Wars

Cats are the most popular companion animals in the western world. In the UK their numbers have swollen to more than 10 million. This is great news for the cat lovers amongst us but for those who see Felis silvestris catus as nothing more than a garden pest, it can feel like an epidemic. Cat Wars meets those on both sides of the feline divide to find out what really gets people so worked up about the humble moggy. In Somerset, retiree Joe is desperately trying to defend his little corner of the world from fouling invaders. After years of trying to protect his prize vegetable patch, he is seeking help from Dave Jones, a self-professed expert in cat deterrents. Dave is armed with a plethora of gadgets, but will they work? In Beacon Heights, a community has become divided by an incumbent colony of feral cats. Half the residents want to evict the furry freeloaders, but the other half are becoming increasingly attached to their four-legged visitors. This difference of opinion will need to be resolved one way or another. In Southampton, Annie and her cat Buster are receiving house calls in the middle of the night from a mystery visitor, who is pinching Buster's dinner despite a state-of-the-art security cat flap. How is this possible? This BBC One documentary also meets some of the more fanatical cat owners out there, including Silvana and her 50 cats and Helen, who likes to take her prized pets for a stroll round the block in a baby buggy.