Animals are known to wander all over the area. This can include any animal, even cats. Cats are especially known to wander around the area where they live, if they are allowed to be outside. This could be for a variety of reasons. They could want to spread their scent as far as possible, to claim a territory, or to alert other cats in the area they are around, especially since they do commonly socialize with other cats in the locality. They may be looking for food too, or a comfortable place to rest. Because of this people ask questions about how far a cat could wander. Here we will answer these questions to give you a better understanding of cats wandering around.
Will My Cat Get Lost If It Wanders Too Far?
Cats are naturally curious animals. They love exploring and wandering around. But because of this, some people might be afraid that their cat may wander too far and get lost.
Adopted cats typically roam 5 acres on average per day, which can cover a neighborhood. This seems like it is enough for space for cats to travel and wander about without getting totally lost. They always seem to make it home for food and other necessities. They don’t get lost because of their scent and familiarity with their immediate world.
Stray and feral cats can cover over a thousand acres in a day, and travel from place to place, looking for food and water, among other necessities. But they typically try to stay in the same place. You’ll find that a cat who has an owner won’t travel as far – this is because they are almost always provided for by their human owner.
But can cats get lost if they travel too far? Yes. A cat can get lost if it does travel too far. But that depends on how far they traveled, and cats can still travel miles away from their home and still find a way back.
How Long Should My Cat Be Missing Before I Worry?
Because cats are known to wander about, and as we discussed, cats can get lost if they do go too far. For this reason, people question how long a cat should be missing for before they start to worry.
But you shouldn’t worry at all actually, the only thing you should do is notify your vet and animal warden so that they know there is a cat missing. This is because these professionals may be notified if a lost cat is found, and may be able to locate the missing cat for you.
When your cat goes missing, it is likely its natural instinct that made it curious and want to explore. As we discussed, cats are wanderers because they are naturally curious creatures. Cats are actually known to go missing for days, weeks, and even months, before they find their way back home. They can travel miles away from home if they want to (but typically they don’t, and try to stay in an area of approximately 5 acres). Still, they could wander off because they are curious. So, if you’re worried about your cat wandering off and missing – don’t fret too much, they will likely eventually find their way back home.
How Often Do Cats Not Come Home?
As we discussed, it is pretty common for a cat to wander off and go missing for a while. But because of this people wonder if it is possible for a cat to wander off and never come home.
We talked about how cats that are adopted by families like to stay in an area the size of a neighborhood, or roughly five acres. This is because they are provided for, and are more exploring than looking for food, because that is already provided for.
We also discussed that cats can go missing for months, which makes people wonder if they can go missing permanently. The answer to this is that, yes, it is possible for a cat to get lost and never return home. If you look at how far cats can travel in a month (more than 30 miles!) then they can indeed get lost and lose their way home permanently. This could be for many reasons, either they lost their sense of direction or someone else adopted them. But always keep in mind that these cats can find their way back home eventually, it just might take them a while to enable them to do so.
See Also: How Do I Keep My Cat Out of My Neighbor’s Garden?
What Are the Chances of Finding a Lost Cat?
Because cats can often get lost and lose their way, people also wonder how often you can find a lost cat or a stray cat.
With an upwards of 100 million stray cats in the U.S. alone, some of these cats are bound to be cats that lost their way. There are almost 1 million cats in the United States alone, that have lost their way back home, and usually end up in shelters. Though, this number is probably higher if you consider the ones that are not in animal shelters.
So, finding a lost cat is probably pretty common because of this. Cats are curious creatures and love to roam and explore, but sometimes they may lose their way back home. It is actually very possible if you picked up a stray cat, that it might actually be a cat that has lost its way. It ultimately depends if the cat is friendly or not, too, and if there is anything you can recognize on the cat that tells you it is owned by someone else, such as a collar.
So yes, it is very likely you could encounter a cat that lost its way back home.
Conclusion
Here we discussed how cats wander about when they are allowed to be outside. We discussed how long a cat could go missing, and if a cat could get permanently lost. We also discussed the chances of finding a lost cat and the chances of a cat getting lost, too. We mentioned that there are many cats out there that may be seen as strays, but might be cats that have lost their way. We hope we helped you learn something new concerning cats and their wandering habits.
Featured image: Inquisitive Wandering Cat
