Have you ever wondered where your cat ventures when it leaves the house? Aoife McAleer from Ireland was determined to find out what her cat, Jagger, is up to when she strolls through the neighborhood, so she purchased a collar with a GPS tracker and put it on her cat. And while it's a great tool to keep an eye on your furry friend in real time in case it tries to escape, this invasion into the cat's privacy turned into an unexpected discovery. Turns out, Jagger was too clever to have one owner to provide regular pets and snacks. In 24 hours, this cat visited about five houses on her way and returned home like nothing happened, but this time, she was caught.
Jagger's adventures got exposed on the internet and didn't go unnoticed. When Aoife McAleer posted a video with her little experiment on TikTok, it immediately went viral with 380.3k views and 44.3k likes. She then had to spy on her other cat, Cookie, who appears to be a little bit more loyal.
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This TikTok of an owner putting a tracker on her cat went viral with 380.3k views
Aoife McAleer bought a GPS tracker for her cat to see where she wanders when she leaves the house
Image credits: eefskol
The tracker sent the real-time location of Jagger's adventures to the owner's smartphone
Image credits: eefskol
This invasion into the cat's privacy took an unexpected twist when she found out Jagger had visited about five houses on her way
Image credits: eefskol
"I knew that she visited a few houses (in fact one household actually named her Peter) and she would always come home after her adventures each day, but I was interested to see where exactly she visited and was super shocked to see she visited many houses and it looks like she was fed at many also. More interestingly, she actually stayed there for some time," Aoife McAleer told Bored Panda.
We asked McAleer how does she feel about her cat wandering outside and visiting neighbors.
"I know there are risks in some countries with wild animals, etc., but thankfully here, we don't have those risks. She was a product of an unneutered feral cat. So when we got her, the first thing we did was making sure she was neutered to avoid kittens. She didn't love being inside for long periods of time and got quite stressed, so we allowed her out. I know one family looked forward to seeing her come each day, they told me they feed her snacks each day, and I'm pretty sure she did the same with other houses. She would be home at 5 pm each night for another feed too."
The owner later spied on her other cat, Cookie
We were interested in how different the adventures of these two cats were, so we asked McAleer for insight information.
"Jagger's tracking data was a lot more active. She traveled to many households but she was feisty and confident, so I expected it. Cookie's data was a lot less exciting, she's a nervous cat (also feral as a kitten) and she stayed within our household area."
McAleer rescued her furry friend from the streets at 6 years old
Image credits: eefs_kol
"She was 6 years old and a feral kitten when we got her. We took her in and made her part of the family, but she still loved her natural roaming instincts and would venture out daily, but return every evening for bedtime."
Jagger stayed true to her natural roaming instincts and went out daily to explore the neighborhood
Image credits: eefs_kol
Despite the wild nature of her cats, Aoife McAleer loves them to bits
Image credits: eefs_kol
Unfortunately, Jagger passed away last Monday due to complications in her kidneys. McAleer told us that a few houses Jagger was a regular guest in also miss her and have even messaged her.
Image credits: eefs_kol
"Jagger was a really feisty cat," said the owner. "Stubborn and liked things her way. She was very tame but as a kitten wouldn't let us touch her and was extremely feral. We worked with her over the years to tame her and she became a really loving, cuddly cat when she wanted to be. And always looking for food."
Image credits: eefs_kol
"Cookie was also feral and was extremely shy as a kitten. She is still shy now but when she wants attention, she makes sure you know about it and will follow you about until you pet her. She is a home bird and enjoys her home comforts."
After the passing of Jagger, Cookie is being spoilt rotten and is yet to test the tracking device more.