We all know that cats are very magical animals. They are not as simple as they look, and sometimes they are very naughty. At the same time, cats are more emotional animals, they like to be alone and even run away from home for various reasons. Sometimes the doors and windows were not closed tightly, and the cats sneaked out through the cracks of the door, and then never appeared in the home again. Many cat owners don't understand why cats often don't come back once they run away from home. Why do cats always run away from home? Is it because we are not good for them? How can we find them quickly?

Why do cats run away from home?

As more and more cats are kept, the situation of cats "running away from home" also increases. After some cats leave home, they can return to their home, but most cats never come back once they leave home. For flexible cats, the world is so big, and there is nowhere they can not go. When raising a cat, even if the cat owner and the cat get along well, the cat will still run away from home and never come back. Why is this?

Explore the outside world

The ancestors of cats all lived in the wild, cats yearn for the outside world and freedom. Although many pet cats are happy to stay indoors, they are still curious about the outside world. Especially for today's cats, who live in the same environment every day, and they will gradually get tired of the boring life. So when we don't close the doors and windows in time, it is easy for cats to sneak out of curiosity. When a cat leaves home and finds that the outside world is more interesting, it will be attracted by the outside world and will no longer think about going home. Moreover, in the city, people come and go, and the cat may be curled up in the corner because of timidness, and it will not be able to come back when it forgets the way home.

In heat

If we don't sterilize the cat, when the cat is in heat, it will try to run out, which is a very normal phenomenon. When cats are in heat and there is no spouse at home, they will feel very depressed at home, and they will choose to run away from home to find a spouse. After the cat goes out, it does not want to return to the home where it feels depressing. The chance of this kind of cat returning is relatively small unless the cat often plays outside and is familiar with the home and surrounding environment. It may come home suddenly after a period of time, but more cats will just get lost and never be found again return. Therefore, during the estrus period of the cat, you must be optimistic about your cat and close the doors and windows. The chances of cats falling from the building and running away from home are particularly high during the estrus period.

Feeling stressed at home

If we have more than one cat, we should always pay attention to the relationship between cats. Cats have a very strong sense of territory. If there are many cats in their territory, they may feel that their territory has been violated. There may also be major conflicts due to a little friction in the process of getting along. Some cats may run away from home and never come back.

In addition, if the cat owner treats the cat badly and often beats and scolds the cat, in the long run, the cat will feel disappointed with the owner. No matter how good the conditions at home are, they don't want to stay at home any longer. If a cat does not live happily at home, such as lack of care from the owner, the arrival of new pets, and changes in the environment, all of which will irritate the cat. At least the cat after running away from home will not be bullied again, so when it runs away from home, it will not return home.

Death

For cats, when they feel that they are about to die, they will run away from home or hide, which is a kind of their nature. In addition to wanting to return to nature, they also don't want their owners to feel sad. If an elderly cat in your home suddenly runs away from home, it may be saying goodbye to you.

Accident

Sometimes cats may run away from home just out of curiosity and will return home quickly. But something unexpected happened that prevented the cat from coming home. Now the houses in the city are basically the same. For cats who never go out, it is more difficult to recognize the way. After some cats run away from home, it's not that they don't want to go home, but they can't find their way home! There are also some cats who have been targeted by others after they run away from home, especially cats of some breeds, such as Ragdolls and British Shorthairs. If they wander outside alone, they will be picked up soon! Or accidentally got into a car accident and so on.

How to find a cat that has run away from home?

After discovering that the cat "runs away from home", the first 72 hours is the golden time to find the cat, so we must not panic during this period. Following certain methods can effectively increase the chance of finding the cat. Cats are different from dogs, they often like to hide, and sometimes it is useless for the owner to call. If your cat disappears, be sure to do a thorough inventory of any areas in your home where it might be hiding. In addition, looking for cats is the same as looking for other pets. Try to mobilize people around you to help you to look for them, which can greatly increase the chance of finding cats.

Look for cats according to their habits

Cats like to go to high places, so when we are looking for cats, it is best to go up the corridor first. Generally, domestic cats are very timid when they first come out, so maybe we can find them in the grass and corners near home. Some cats actually know the approximate location of their homes, but because the floors are very similar, they mistakenly think that other people's homes are their own. Therefore, we must look in other corridors more. For example, if your home is on the 7th floor, then you must pay more attention to the 7th floor of other people's homes, especially don't miss the corridors.

Cats are usually used to being active at night, and darkness will bring them a sense of security. In addition, there are few people at night, and cats may come out of hiding places, so we can look for cats at night. And cats’ eyes will reflect light at night, we can find it more easily. Remember to bring a flashlight and pay attention to some dark and hidden places.

Cats are very vigilant animals. Maybe your cat doesn’t show vigilance when facing you, but that doesn’t mean it’s not wary of strangers. When you call your cat, it won't come out because strangers are around. So be sure to look for it when there are few people so that the cats can let down their vigilance.

Be aware of the location of nearby stray cats

The most common reason for domestic cats to "run away from home" is that they are in heat and want to find a partner, so we should pay more attention to the location of stray cats in the community. In these places where stray cats often appear, you may be able to find your love cat there. We are most likely to hear these stray cats meowing at night, and we can follow the sound to find them.

View surveillance

During the period of looking for cats, if there is surveillance in the building or at the gate of the community, you can go to the property and ask the staff to help call the surveillance to check the cat's tracks. When you know where the cat has been active, you can look for it nearby. The chances of finding it are very high, and it saves time. If the cat has already run out of the community, you can look for it in the nearby grass. The cat will probably find a hidden place to hide. We can try our luck.

Call its name

Although there is a high probability that the cat will ignore you when you call the cat's name at home, it is different if the cat is looking for the way home at this time. Cats have a very well-developed sense of hearing, and they know their own names. If the cat hears the owner calling itself, it will make a "meow meow" sound as a response to the owner. Therefore, we should not call the cat too fast, otherwise, you may miss the cat's response. Generally speaking, they will not go too far. The owners can basically call the cats home by shouting a few times in nearby places.

Attract cats with food

Cats are often hungry after they run away from home, and owners can bring cat food when looking for cats. Bringing out these treats when calling your cat's name will double your appeal to cats. If we know the cat is nearby but can't find it. We can put the cat litter, food bowls, water basins, etc. that cats usually use, at the door and between the corridors, or put some cat food that they usually eat near the downstairs. A cat's nose is very sensitive, and it will follow the food and smell it usually eats to find its home.

Post notices

When you find that the cat is lost, you can post a notice to find the cat, put a photo of the cat, and attach basic information such as name, gender, coat color, and the contact information of the owner. And you can also write rewards so that the possibility of finding it back will be bigger. Cat photo is best in color, black and white are hard to read.