In this article, we will try to answer the question can cats find their way home and also provide a few tips that will help a lost cat find its way home.
Can cats find their way home?
Yes, a lost cat can still find its way back home if the cat wasn’t killed by a predator, trapped, taken away by cat nappers, taken away by an animal control team, or taken away from the city.
Cats most likely have an inborn ability to remember their way home, provided they cat do not roam beyond 1–3 miles away from home.
Reasons Lost Cats Never Return
Here are some common reasons why a lost cat never returned home:
- The cat was killed by a predator.
- The cat was taken to another city
- The cat was killed by a vehicle
- The cat was taken away by a professional cat napper
- The cat traveled beyond 3 miles away from home and lost its way
- The cat was taken away by an animal control team
- The cat got killed by the human trap.
Why do cats run away
There are a few reasons your cat would want to go outside and we present here some of these reasons.
- An un-Neutered male cat will always look for a way to run outside for mating.
- An un-sprayed female cat on heat will be wanting to go outside to mate with a male cat.
- Cat finding a better food source or option
- An abused cat will run away from home
- A starved cat will run away from home
- Shouting at your cat unnecessarily
- Beating up a cat
- When the house becomes noisy
- A threatened cat will try to run away
- A neglected cat will run away from home
- Other animals can chase a cat away from home.
Tips to help a lost cat find its way home
Here are some useful tips that will help your cat find its way back.
Show your Cat around the Neighborhood
Showing your cat around the neighborhood is very important, be it an outdoor cat or an indoor cat, as this will help you someday.
Ways to show your cat around the neighborhood
- Visiting other cat owners around the neighborhood.
- Walking down the street with your cat on a leash.
- Taking your cat to parks
- Playing with your cat right outside your compound.
- Inviting other close cat owners with their cats and walking them home with your cat.
There are many benefits of showing your cat around the neighborhood, if you ever take your cat around it will be hard for your cat to get lost or stuck with people around.
Benefits of taking your cat around the neighborhood
- People around will get used to seeing your cat and will feel relaxed with the cat.
- Your cat will hardly get trapped because people know the owner
- Your cat will not be removed by animal control because people know the owner
- Your cat will have both human and animal friends around
- Your cat gets more food for visiting other cat owners because they know the owner
- Your cat gets more play time because there are lots of places to go
- Your cat will expand its territory
- Identification of your cat will be much easier
- Easy tracking of your cat way about
Get a Good tracking system
A good tracking system will help your cat find its way home because, with a good tracker, you will just go and pick up your cat.
Benefits of tracking your cat
- It gives you peace of mind
- Tracking your cat helps you know where to pick up your cat
- Easy identification around your neighborhood
- Help you check your cat’s way about
- Tracking helps you to know when your cat gets trapped
- Saves you the stress of asking questions about your cat
If you have a good tracker on your cat even if it is a microchip you will track your cat down to where ever it goes and recover it.
If your cat gets trapped in your neighbor’s basement or your cat gets locked up in someone’s garage, you can not find such a cat unless the cat is microchipped or has an active track.
Your cat may remain stocked somewhere for many days, and you will be asking people and research not knowing it’s trapped, but if you had a tracker on it, you will pick it up without stress.
Showing Your Cat All the Junctions and Entrances
This is most important to those who keep an outdoor cat. As it will help your cat always find its way home no matter the distance traveled.
Cats are great hunters and will travel long distances when hunting.
A cat can go 8 blocks away from home where it’s trying to be a hunter and could lose its way home.
But for the fact it knows the junctions, it will find its way home.
When cats are in heat they are restless and if they have the chance they will run away looking for a mate.
The cat travels far until they get a mate, they can miss their way but if you have shown them all the surrounding junctions this will help them find their way home.
Showing them all the surrounding junctions should not be a problem at all.
Just train them to walk on a leash and take them on evening walks when you are done with the daily activities.
When you take your cat around for some time, it will be difficult for your cat not to come home unless the cat is trapped, taken away, or killed.
Do cats actually care about their owners when they go missing?
Yes, cats do take care of their owners and that is why whenever they run or go far to see their friends or hunt no matter how comfortable they are with their friends, they always come home knowing that their owners will be looking for them.
Even before the cat goes missing you will always notice that each time come home from work, your cat will always greet you by rubbing your head against your leg or body. It’s a way of saying welcome and that they missed you.
Another way to prove that your cat cares about you is that your cat may go out and find a better food source or another cat lover that cares more, but at the end of the day, your cat will still come home, even with all the love and care received from outside it still come home.
Find out more about why cats disappear without a trace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can cats find their way home if they get lost?
Yes, cats have amazing homing abilities and can find their way home from long distances even if they have never been in that area before.
Cats use a combination of their sense of smell, hearing, and memory to navigate and find their way home.
They can also use landmarks and the position of the sun to orient themselves.
Can all cats find their way home or only certain breeds?
All cats have the ability to find their way home regardless of breed, although outdoor cats tend to have better homing abilities than indoor cats.
What should I do if my cat is lost and hasn’t returned home?
If your cat is lost, start searching your immediate area and put up flyers with a picture of your cat and your contact information.
You can also contact local animal shelters and veterinary clinics to see if your cat has been found.
How long can a cat survive on its own if it’s lost?
Cats can survive for several days to a few weeks on their own if they have access to food and water.
However, the longer they are lost, the less likely they are to find their way home.
Can microchipping my cat help me find it if it’s lost?
Yes, microchipping your cat can greatly increase the chances of being reunited with your cat if it goes missing.
Many animal shelters and veterinary clinics have scanners that can detect microchips, allowing them to contact the owner.
Find out more about why outdoor cats live shorter.
Conclusion
Yes, cats have a remarkable ability to find their way home. This is often attributed to their extraordinary sense of smell and their ability to leave olfactory traces along the way.
Additionally, cats are known to have a homing instinct that helps them navigate and find their way back to their familiar surroundings.
Studies have shown that cats can cover long distances to return home, even if they have never been to that location before.
If your cat goes missing, it is recommended to leave out their litter box and some food to help guide them back home through their scent.
