26
- February
2022
Posted By : PawBoost
How Far Can Cats Travel When Lost?

Last Updated on October 5, 2023

This guest article is contributed by Andrew Guerra (Editor-in-Chief at CatsPurfection).

How Far Can a Lost Cat Travel?

Cats are inquisitive creatures who love to explore. They enjoy learning new smells and getting to know other animals and people. However, sometimes their excessive curiosity can end with them running away from home, getting trapped, or accidentally or forcibly taken elsewhere. Pet owners face a variety of situations, and not all of them are optimistic. Why does a cat get lost? How far can it run away? These questions are covered in this article.

Situations Related to the Loss of a Cat

Photo Credit: Yuriy Vinnicov via Unsplash

Excessive interest in everything new provokes cats to run away from home, which can end tragically. After all, a domestic cat rarely withstands competition from stray animals, not knowing where to hide in case of danger. However, sometimes a cat can be stolen intentionally or unintentionally moved to another area. Therefore, if you lost your cat, you should immediately go looking for it, no matter how much time has passed since it went missing. Here are the basic situations associated with the loss of a cat.

  • Reproductive instinct

Unneutered male and female felines follow their instinct and look for mating partners in nearby areas. The mating instinct in cats could lead to your feline buddy going missing for days at a time, or even getting into dangerous situations if they get lost, stuck, or injured far away from home.

  • Pregnancy

Sometimes future mother cats leave their home a few days before labor. The main reason is that the pregnant cat does not feel safe at home. Consequently, it is looking for a quiet, secluded, and safe place to give birth. Various negative factors can affect the cat’s well-being, such as loud music, the negative atmosphere, pushy children, intrusive guests, or unfriendly animals.

Photo Credit: Tadeusz Domagalski via Pexels
  • Moving to a new home

Moving is always stressful. Even if you are excited about the new place, your cat may not share your feelings. Your four-legged companion associates this place with strange smells, unfamiliar environment, uncomfortable air temperature, etc. Therefore, they may run away from home to return to their old and familiar place of residence. So, spend much time with your furry friend, take care of its nervous system, and give special sedatives to make it easier for the cat to tolerate important life changes.

  • Your cat is trapped

Your cat may be stuck in a tree, on the roof, or be locked indoors. Sometimes cats come back after a few days, but in some cases, they need help to get back home.

  • The cat was inadvertently or intentionally moved to another area

Sometimes cats are put into a civilian or service vehicle and are transported over long distances. Besides, sometimes cats become victims of intentional displacement (they are taken to a shelter).

  • The cat was “rescued”

Sometimes a domestic cat can walk on its own, but some people “rescue” it, thinking it is lost. That’s why it’s very important to use an ID tag or get your cat chipped.

  • The cat is sick, wounded, or killed

This is the most pessimistic scenario, but unfortunately, it does happen. Domestic unvaccinated cats can fall ill, be injured by other cats, or be killed by predators. If there are various predators in your area, be sure to consider this factor and take all the precautions.

How Far Do Cats Go When Lost?

Photo Credit: Pille Kirsi via Pexels

Sometimes cats go out to explore the world around them, they may seek shelter, or love elsewhere. However, four-legged travelers do not know how stressful such trips are for their owners. If your cat ran away from home, you need to look for it immediately. How far can a cat run away? There is no definite answer to this question because there are many factors that must be taken into account.

  • Cat personality. Bold and active cats with a well-developed hunting instinct run away farther than quiet and fearful cats.
  • Cat gender. Usually, males roam farther than females.
  • Reproductive instinct. Unneutered felines leave the territory to mate and can walk quite a long distance.
  • Relationships with neighborhood cats. If a cat has friends nearby, there’s a good chance it won’t stray far from home.

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 meters (131 and 656 feet) from the home. One exception to this is farm cats who will cover a much larger area.

The Missing Animal Response states that the median distance found (how far the cats traveled) for missing outdoor-access cats was 315 meters (344 yards). This is roughly a 17-house radius from their owner’s home. It is believed that a cat can cover a distance of 10 to 20 miles in two days. However, each situation is individual, and it is impossible to specify the exact distance.

Bottom Line

So, now you know how far cats can travel when lost. Everything depends on your cat’s personality, physical and mental well-being, and the situation that led to its disappearance. We hope that you will never encounter such a situation, however, if you lose your four-legged friend, report your pet to PawBoost immediately and take steps to raise local awareness.

Comments

  • Take extra care when moving! Lock cat in bathroom at old home with huge note on door not to enter!! When new home is ready, again lock cat in bathroom with note on door! Of course transport in a secure carrier.when all movers are gone and it’s quiet cat can be moved to one larger room. When itscomfortable in that room it should be ok to explore. Please consider keeping it as an indoor pet! So many dangers outside!

    • I had a cat hanging around my house for about 3 weeks before I could get close to it. Luckily he had a collar with tag, name and phone number. He had been missing for nearly 12 months.His owners where here from Melbourne camping and the cat wandered off. From where he was lost to my house would be about 12 km. His owners were pretty overwhelmed when I contacted them. They where so grateful to have him back. I only wished he could talk and tell us what he got up to in all those months.

  • Thanks very much for that informative info. I loss my cat for about a month. My neighbors were instramental in me getting my cat back home. I am sooo grateful for Paw Boost. Thank you.

  • My neutered male was turned in as a stray after being missing for 6 months. He was 5 miles from home! Thank goodness for microchips!

  • Please buy litter and box for your cat and do not let it roam. I TNR any cat that repeatedly comes to the food bowl on our porch. In the coldest part of this winter two cats were roaming for a couple of days. Since they did not show up on my porch and now are not seen by anyone we have assumed they were naughty pets who ran out of the house. My adopted 3 ferels and abandoned 2 have never been allowed out since they came. Scrapping a kitty off the street after it being killed by a car is heartbreaking for those of us who care.

  • Losing your cat is a terrible loss I lost my Hades

  • Lost my cat on Thursday night I picked her up from where I used to live

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