The first episode looks at big cats in Africa and South East Asia. Lion whisperer Kevin Richardson proves how similar our pets are to the fearsome big cats and why there is more to feline communication than meets the eye. In the thick jungles of South East Asia, the sabre-tooth wild cat has given domestic tabbies their gravity-defying climbing skills, and in Namibia, a strange looking cat called a caracal has given them the ability to jump over three metres and catch birds in flight.

This episode tells how wild predators became such popular pets and how their amazing senses and mouse-catching prowess brought man and cat together ten thousand years ago. The programme also looks at how domestic cats are still evolving and could lose their natural hunting instincts in the future.

Cats are said to hate water, crave warmth and only eat meat, but this episode looks at the wild cats that break all the feline rules. From jaguars with sub-aqua skills to tigers that can survive temperatures of minus 40 degrees, the programme shows how cats have developed super powers to survive in the most unlikely landscapes.