Artist Imogen Semmler shows what cats get up to when their owners aren't around

THEY are secretive, unloving, one of the most selfish creatures on Earth. Now we really know what the cat gets up to when you're not around.

THEY are secretive, accused of being unloving, and are among the most selfish creatures on Earth.

Now there's proof that your precious feline isn't the angel he or she makes themselves out to be - in fact most of the time they're probably far from it.

Sydney artist Imogen Semmler set about to discover exactly what our precious felines get up to when their owners weren't around.

Using technology provided by PetVision and research provided by Sydney Associate Professor Vanessa Barrs, Ms Semmler recruited 18 cat owners as part of the crowd-sourced project Pussyfoot: The Cats of Erskineville.

The study has shed some light on what our cats get up to when we're not around. Picture: Screengrab

She said cats were secretive creatures and many owners really didn't know what their pets got up to, where they went, or what sort of trouble they got up to along the way.

The cats were filmed in three-hour periods in the dense inner-west Sydney suburb and the results surprised even her.

"We had cats that roamed quite far, others stayed put and others who patrolled their territory quite aggressively," the project co-ordinator said.

"Although our sample was small we found there were no wildlife kills but we can't say that conclusively."

And then there's the cat who loves going into other people's houses and making it their own and another who was found cavorting with its neighbours four doors up.

Imogen Semmler poses with Cat Suki. Picture: Daniel Munoz

Or the underwear loving feline Suki who delights in bringing neighbours' dirty garments back home with her, proving she was a little bit of a cheater.

Ms Semmler is planning to give the data to vets and owners but said the project was a great way to combine art and science.

The full footage will be shown at Eskineville's Tiny Stadiums Festival on November 16 and 23.

The cat wearing the camera collar has his sights set on this guy, fight ensues. Picture: Screengrab

###