BOULDER, Colo. -- CSU researchers are going to set up motion-activated cameras to study how often bobcats, mountain lions and domestic cats bump into each other in Boulder.

It's part of a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to identify the dynamics of infectious diseases among wild cats and domestic pets, according to the university.

Last summer, a graduate student set out 40 motion-activated cameras outside Montrose. During the three-month period, Jesse Lewis found that bobcats, pumas and domestic cats crossed paths quite often.

This summer, CSU researchers will set out another 40 motion-activated cameras west of urban Boulder to capture photos of bobcats and any other wildlife that passes by.

"It was fascinating to see that the 40 cameras in Colorado’s Western Slope captured all three species during the course of the three months of sampling last year. We even recorded domestic cats, bobcats, or mountain lions sharing the same trail just 24 hours apart," associate professor Kevin Crooks said. "This tells us domestic cats and wild cats are living in relatively close proximity, and the opportunities for them to share diseases as well as habitat definitely exist."

In addition to motion-activated cameras, GPS collars will be used to map the cats' movements. The Colorado Division of Wildlife will assist with placing GPS devices on 20 bobcats. Pumas are already being tracked in the area using this technology.

As part of this research, scientists are studying the extent that diseases in puma and bobcat populations are found in domestic cats. Some of these diseases, such as toxoplasmosis and bartonella, or cat scratch disease, can also infect humans, according to a news release.