Can cats find their way home? When to worry if your cat has gone missing

Table of Content

• The different parts of a cat’s territory
• What Percentage Of Lost Cats Are Found?
• New York Pet Stores Will No Longer Sell Dogs, Cats And Rabbits
• How to get your cat used to recall with the GPS tracker?
• Many Lost Or Relocated Cats Are Able To Find Their Way Home Again Even Over Vast Distances Using Their Homing Instincts
• Reasons Why Dogs Chase Cats (and How to Stop It)

In the 1954 study, for example, researchers found that young cats who had been raised in a lab had no homing abilities at all. If your cat is young or used to living indoors, it may not be able to find its way home if it gets lost. And if being outside makes your cat scared, confused, or overwhelmed, that could also negatively impact its sense of direction. It is essential to keep a cat indoor after a move to let them acclimatise, get to know their new environment and spread their pheromones to create a new territory. If you let your cat outside, they could decide to leave because they don’t like their new environment.

Indoor cats seem to have a type of homing sense that has directed cats to travel hundreds of kilometres back to their home in some circumstances. Cats have up to 80 million smell receptors in their noses, but humans only have approximately five million. Their sense of smell is extraordinarily acute, and they may be able to use scent markers to find their way home.

The different parts of a cat’s territory

The issue with many indoor cats is they’re not as familiar with surviving outside as feral or outdoor cats are. Cats have up to 80 million scent receptors in their noses compared to about five million receptors in the human nose. Their sense of smell is extremely sensitive and they may be able to detect their way home through scent markers. When cats rub against surfaces, or urinate in a particular spot, it’s their way of marking their territory. They leave their own familiar scent either by spraying urine or bunting scent glands that are found under their chins.

Some of them can, and there have been cases where cats have succeeded. Cats’ senses are far more acute than people realize, and some animal behaviourists believe fiercely territorial felines possess exceptional homing instincts. Professor Frances Herrick wrote “The Homing Powers of the Cat” in the 1920s, based on his observations of a mother cat returning to her kittens after being separated. The study’s goal was to see how far a cat might go before returning home to its family. Even at distances of one to four miles, the mother successfully returned to her litter seven times.

What Percentage Of Lost Cats Are Found?

According to Dr. John Bradshaw of the School of Veterinary Science at Bristol University and author of Cat Sense, most cats roam between 40 and 200 metres from the home. So, if you want to be with your cat for a long time, always prioritize their safety and health above all else. Like humans, cats also tend to run away whenever they feel scared, stressed, or anxious. Whether you have a tomcat or a queen, both tend to stray off when they’re in search of their mate. So, if your cat is out of sight, your feline friend might just be chasing their prey. Indeed, losing a cat is never easy, and it’s good to hold on to the idea that someday they’ll find their way back home.

Keep checking animal shelters and checking in with your old neighbors regularly. You may be very lucky and reunite with your cat, long after it seemed likely. Yes, cats can return home many days, weeks, months, and even years after they wandered off or were lost.

New York Pet Stores Will No Longer Sell Dogs, Cats And Rabbits

A cat in heat can be less friendly since their mind isn’t focused on you, but on their instinctive need to procreate. Don’t bring other animals with you when you’re on your search – they may scare your cat away. Place any used litter from your cat’s litter tray outside, or perhaps the contents of your hoover for a smell of home. But, no matter how incredible this is, we can’t always rely on it. The truth remains that your cat’s chances of getting lost and not getting back home is significantly higher.

A common misconception is that all lost cats will always find their way back home, which is true most of the time. Because of that, itâs very important for cat owners to realize their beloved pets arenât safe just because the species on the whole seems to have a good sense of direction. OK, assuming you didnt see your cat jet out the door, Albrechts first tip is to make absolutely sure your lost cat isnt still in the house. Once, a family contacted her, convinced a bobcat had killed their missing cat. The homecoming of the mewing kitten triggered a noise from the houses chimneywhere the first cat was stuck. I know the heartbreak of looking for and missing a beloved cat.

How to get your cat used to recall with the GPS tracker?

However, if your cat is out of ear range, the recall function of the GPS tracker makes sense and is therefore not trivial at all. Indeed, this function allows you to condition your cat to return to the call. Also, it goes without saying that the frightened and fearful cat will need to find what used to be in their former home. Make sure that the bag of kibbles is always full, their cat food and water bowl filled regularly, and all their other specific needs met.

Many experts believe cats have intuitive navigation skills linked to survival. This is supported by looking at brain studies that relate to memories, as spatial memories are the ones best stored in feline brains. This shows the ability to remember directions are extremely prevalent in cats. However, sometimes a cat’s keen sense of smell is insufficient to aid navigation, and your cat may become disoriented. Cats may face challenges that prevent them from returning home, in addition to the possibility of being harmed or even killed. Cats are one of the most popular home pets, and can be kept as an indoor or outdoor cat whichever one you keep they will always prefer to roam about which makes the cat go missing.

In fact, you can get a cat to come home at night with a bit of training – all thanks to their impressive spatial memories and nighttime vision. Contact your local veterinarian if your new cat or kitten looks restless and is often sitting or waiting at the back door, pacing, scratching, or pawing at the door area. The Jacobson’s organ on the roof of a cat’s mouth allows it to detect pheromones. If your cat makes a strange disgusted-looking grimace, called the flehmen reaction, it’s attempting to smell and taste the surrounding pheromones. Similarly, the territory of male cats is generally bigger than that of female cats.

A cat could become lost or confused in heavy rain, especially if they are not familiar with the surroundings or if they are scared. Cats have a good sense of direction and can often find their way home even in rainy weather. A noticeable 29% of homing incidences occurred when an owner moved and a cat returned to their old home . MrBossCat.com does not intend to provide veterinary advice. The content presented on MrBossCat.com is meant for informational purposes only. This information should not be substituted for a professional veterinary consultation.