Why Do Cats Wander Off For Days: 12 Reasons To Note

Have you ever wondered why do cats wander off for days, sometimes weeks, at a time? In this post, I will outline all the common reasons why cats wander off for days.

I will also outline reasons why you shouldn’t let your cat go outside without your supervision and more, so let’s rock and roll!!!

Cats enjoy going exploring. They seem to take pleasure in visiting new and unknown territories.

It’s the most common behavior among felines, and it’s actually very beneficial for cats.

They need plenty of exercise in order to remain healthy and happy.

They also need time away from their owners to adjust to a more natural life as wild animals.

Cats are notorious for wanting to wander. Some can even go for days without coming home.

Even when they do come back, it’s not always a clear indication that they’re safe. They might just be picking up the scent of another cat and getting lost in their thoughts.

Why Do Cats Wander Off For Days

Curiosity, hunting, or territorial impulses are the most common reasons for a cat to wander off for days out. Felines like exploring their surroundings, which may take them away from home for some time.

Cats go missing when they lose sight of their surroundings when hunting or exploring, and it takes time for them to find their way home.

Cats are famous for being playful and independent. They enjoy exploring the world, which is why they can sometimes go missing for days at a time.

But why do cats wander off? It could be as simple as them being bored or looking for food or something more serious like a medical issue.

Wondering what’s going on with your cat? Read on to learn more about this strange behavior and what you can do about it.

There are a few reasons why cats might wander off, but the one thing we know is that there isn’t one specific answer for every cat.

I will try to keep the explanation as simple as possible for a better understanding.

Here are some common reasons why cats wander off for days:

Cats wander off exploring a new territory

Cats love exploring new territory around their neighborhood, and often lose sight of home, then try to track their way back.

This is why you are advised to put a tracker or collar on your cat if you keep an outdoor cat.

Since cats are territorial animals, they can wander off for days in search of new territory, they can only come back when they get hungry and fail to make a kill.

Cats wander off chasing prey

Cats are excellent hunters who can wander far from home during a hunt.

Most cats are not like certain intelligent animals that would leave a trail before hunting.

If your cat becomes separated from you while hunting, he or she is likely to become a wide cat, and such a cat is unlikely to return home except in exceptional circumstances.

Some rodents are too smart and know their ways around the neighborhood if your cat chase such a rodent your cat will definitely wander off for days before tracking home.

Cats wander off looking to mate

Experience has shown that a male cat may travel for days in pursuit of a female cat and, once located, can stay with the female cat and seek nourishment.

In most situations, the female cat’s owner must drive the male cat away before the male cat will return to its owner; nevertheless, the male cat will eventually remain because of the female cat.

When the owner of the female cat grows tired of pursuing the male cat, he or she may, out of sympathy, start feeding and caring for the cat, prolonging your cat mating trip to more than a week.

Cats wander off when they are being fed elsewhere

A feeding excursion for cats occurs when another cat owner who lives 8 to 10 blocks away from your home provides your cat better food than you do.

Your cat may have discovered a new hunting field with more fun pals during the meal journey and may have decided to relax for a bit.

If you have an outdoor cat and do not properly feed it, be prepared to live with the reality that your cat will be eating elsewhere and may be absent for several days or weeks.

Cats wander off and get lost

Felines wander a great deal particularly felines that live near the forest or woodland, and throughout their meandering, they may forget about home.

Each outside feline has a chasing experience and when they forget about their home they will continue to chase to remain full while continuing to follow their direction home.

So on the off chance that you should permit your feline to head outside, ensure your feline has a decent global positioning framework set up to help you detect the current area of your feline.

You can likewise make out an ideal opportunity to take your feline around your area and ever intersections around in the event that your feline forgets about home.

Cats wander off and get trapped somewhere

There have been reports of a cat being held in a warehouse for days, and when the building was unlocked, the cat returned to its owner looking thin and lethargic.

If you let your cat out, don’t rule out the chance of your cat becoming stuck in a basement, garage, or warehouse, maybe for days.

There was a story of a cat that got caught in a hunter’s trap and was hurt; the hunter brought the cat home and cared for it.

The hunter then returned the cat to the same location where the trap had caught the cat, followed the cat home, and apologized to the owner after several days.

Cats wander off due to stress

Felines are by and large known as quiet pets that don’t do well with pressure, noise, stress, commotion, or interruptions.

Furthermore, when you place them in such a territory they might need to go on a cooling break.

On most occasions this cooling break might last more than anticipated, perhaps they are invited or alright with their new environment.

At times the owner of the feline needs to look and recuperate the feline before the feline returns home, then, at that point some different occasions the feline will miss home and will get back home to beware of its owner.

A few times a feline may venture out from home in light of commotion coming from a birthday celebration in the nearby neighborhood or in your home.

Cats wander off due to lack of attention by owners

This is one of the reasons why cats wander off for days without thinking of returning home at all.

If your cat constantly seeks attention, and you don’t pay attention, your cat might develop unnecessary behaviors and run away from home.

Lack of attention is one of the major reasons why cats wander off for weeks to stay with another cat lover who cares more.

Cats can wander off due to the arrival of newborn baby

The arrival of a newborn baby may force your cat to wander off for days and still return when the cat feels safe.

Inviting new relatives may likewise drive a feline to take a break, and return sooner or later, so make certain to check with your feline once you have another face in the house.

Cats can wander off due to the arrival of another pet

The arrival of a new pet might become stressful for your cat and can force your cat to take a break for some days elsewhere.

Before bringing home a new pet, you should properly introduce both pets to avoid your cat running away for a few days.

For example, not all breeds of dogs accept cats, there are some breeds of dogs that get along with cats.

So, if you have a breed that your cat is not comfortable with, be sure your cat may wander off for days.

Cat followed another cat lover home

Another cat lover 6 to 10 blocks away may believe your pet has been abandoned or neglected and decide to take the cat in and care for it.

When someone else cares for your cat more than you do!

There is a good probability that the cat will spend a lot of time in his new home, where it is most cared for.

When you don’t care about your cat. The cat has the option of taking a rest and looking elsewhere for care.

Cats wander off if they are being chased away by a predator

Felines wander about a great deal and could cross their hunting territory, this might drive another predator to pursue the feline shielding its region.

In the demonstration of running for its life the feline may end up in another territory and this will constrain the feline to settle down and discover its direction home which might require days or weeks.

A feline pursuing prey should forget about home, and it might take as long as seven days to follow home.

Bad practices that force cats to wander off for days

Here are some bad practices that could force a cat to take a break for some days:

• Changing cat routine
• Unnecessarily beating up your cat
• Always rubbing your cat face on poop or pee
• Steady depriving your cat of good playtime
• Always Staving your cat
• Always shouting at your cat unnecessarily
• Not having clean water for your cat
• Too much stress
• A death threat from a higher animal

Let’s look at some solutions for stopping your cat from wanting to go outside.

How to stop cats wandering off for days

Here are things and practices you should consider to make sure your cat doesn’t feel wandering off is safer:

• Maintain a schedule for your cat on a daily basis.
• To keep your cat engaged, provide him with a range of activities.
• Make time to interact with your cat.
• Only allow your cat to be rewarded for preferred actions.
• Maintain the cleanliness of your cat’s litter box.
• You should think about spaying or neutering your cat.
• Make your home cat-friendly.
• Allow your cat to experience the outside world.
• Make your environment cat-friendly.
• Alternate entrances and exits should be provided.
• Get your cat some engaging and entertaining toys.

Read full details of this in an article on how to stop cats from wanting to go outside.

What to do if your lost cat comes back after missing for days

Here are some things to do if your cat that wandered off for some days comes back:

• Give the cat a high quality food
• Give the cat treats
• Give the cat a warm bath
• Check for fleas or parasites
• Brush the cat
• Check the weight and compare with previous weight
• Check the cat ears for ticks
• Add supplements to the cat meal
• Use safe fleas control spray on the cat body
• Take the cat to the vet for a proper check up if you notice anything wired.

Why Do Cats Wander Off To Die

Cats wander off to die for three reasons: they are elderly and wish to die alone, they are frustrated, depressed, or have had a horrific traumatic event, and they wander off to die for other reasons.

There are lots of things that can cause trauma in cats, and there are also some symptoms of trauma in cats you should know.

Sometimes, most cats do not flee to die, they just conceal themselves from predators because they are weak and prone to predation.

While cats dislike dying alone, they do so in order to conceal their illness and protect themselves from damage.

Most cats also do this to save energy and locate a nice, quiet area to relax.

Cats seldom hide far away from home because they lack the power to go long distances.

However, not all cats sequester themselves before death. Some prefer to stay at their owner’s side, becoming more loving and clinging in the process.

My cat has gone missing will he come back

The chances of your cat returning home after going missing are completely determined by the reason for the cat’s disappearance; if the cat is still alive and did not wander more than four miles from home, there is a good probability your cat will return home.

More interesting article:

Wrapping up on why do cats wander off for days

Have you ever wondered why your cat wanders off for days, sometimes weeks, at a time?

He might be exploring new territory or chasing prey. But the more likely answer is that he’s looking to mate.

Female cats are in estrus about twice a year, and they often stray from their homes when they’re ready to mate.

Male cats don’t have this luxury. When they see a female, they take their chances and try to reproduce as quickly as possible.

This can lead them away from home for days at a time. Here are some reasons why you should not let your cat go outside.