How often do cats not come home?

It isn't uncommon for cats to go missing for 24 hours, especially if they like spending a lot of time outdoors. In some cases, cats can even stay away from home for up to 10 days at a time.
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Do cats sometimes not come home?

There is a risk that the cat may not come home or be injured. The most important thing when finding a lost cat is to stay calm, act fast and never give up. Catshave been known to be found weeks or months after going missing. Keep searching every day until it has returned home.
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How often do missing cats return home?

Looking through years of case records of hundreds of missing cats, the number one way cats are found is that they simply come home in about twenty percent of missing cat cases. If your cat is going to come home on his own, looking for him, in the proper way, certainly won't hurt his chances of coming home.
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What do you do when your cat doesn't come home?

Once you have this information about your missing cat, get in contact with:
  1. Local vets in your area.
  2. Your local Police Station.
  3. All local animal rehoming charities.
  4. Your local newspaper (to put an ad in the 'lost and found' section of the classified adverts)
  5. Boarding catteries in the area.
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Do cats always come back?

Tens of thousands of cats go missing every year, in fact there are 6.5 million lost cats in Europe at any one time and it is calculated that 25% of them will never be reunited with their owners. That's more than 1.6 million lost cats who will not be seen again by their human families!
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Do Cats Come Back Home If They Run Away?



How long should my cat be missing before I worry?

You do not need to worry if your cat leaves, however, if it has been more than two days, you should consider notifying your local vet and animal warden that your animal has not come back, as they might have been injured, preventing them from coming home.
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How long do cats wander off for?

Cats like to wander, so there is a good chance yours goes missing now and then. In our experience, it is not unusual for a cat to be MIA for 24 hours at a time. Some cats even disappear for two to three days at a time.
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How far do cats roam 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 metres (131 and 656 feet) from the home. One exception to this is farm cats who will cover a much larger area.
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How do you attract a cat back home?

Use strong smelling canned cat food that your cat can smell from a distance so your cat knows where to go for food. Also, put your cat's litter box and any bedding that has your cat's scent on it outside to attract your cat back to your home. Cat's have an amazing sense of smell!
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How Far Can cats smell their owners?

While there is little research to go on, one study found that cats can smell their owners and find their way back home from 1.5 to 4 miles away. Cats possess a natural homing instinct, which explains why some cats that go missing suddenly show up at their front door the next day.
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Is it normal for a cat to be gone for 2 days?

Sometimes they may disappear for a few hours, other times you may not see them for a day or two. It's important to understand that these vanishing acts are perfectly normal. Felines, by their nature, are adventurous animals.
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Do cats go missing for days?

Basic instincts govern felines, so your house cat may go missing for hours or even days at a time. Usually, a cat wandering off is due to curiosity, hunting, or territorial instincts. Cats like to explore their terrain, which could keep them away from home for a while.
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What do cats do when they are lost?

They tend to remain in the same hiding place and become almost catatonic, immobilized with fear. If they are found by someone other than their owners, they are typically mistaken as being untamed or “feral.” The primary strategy to recover these cats would be to set baited humane traps.
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Do cats remember where they live?

Cats have a great sense of smell, and they're big fans of spreading their personal scent. Outside cats mark their territory with urine and rub up against objects to leave behind specific scent markers. It's likely that they use these scent markers to know where they are and where they're going.
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Do cats come back home after they run away?

Unfortunately, there is no absolute answer as to whether a cat will return home after running away. The individual circumstances of each cat need to be taken into consideration. It is difficult for researchers since, even with the advent of microchipping, it is difficult to find data on lost cats.
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What are the chances of finding a lost cat?

Statistically, up to 84% of lost cats are found. Of these, over 59% returned home on their own. 75% of lost cats were found within 500 meters (547 yards) of home. The median recovery time of a lost cat was 5 days or less.
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Why do cats run away from home?

Why do cats run away from home? Cats usually run away during the reproductive period, or to hunt in a new location. A stressful environment, their territorial instincts, or the attention from another human could also lead them to run away for a couple of days or go missing entirely.
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Why do cats wander off for days?

The cat is in heat

This is one of the most common answers to the question “why do cats wander off for days” – it's simply because of their physical needs. A male cat (or tomcat) will trace the scents emitted from the female cat, even if it can lead them very far off their home.
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Where do most missing cats go?

Cat hiding outside, close to home

Even cats lost outside are consistently found hiding under the porch on their own property or hidden somewhere close by, within just three to five houses of their escape point, Kat says.
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Do cats miss their owners?

Yes, they do. The cats miss the owners whenever they are away or have been detached from the owner. They notice the absence of all the showered love their owners have left for them.
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Is it normal for a cat to be gone for a week?

Remember not to panic if your cat has only been missing for a few days. Sometimes cats go missing for weeks at a time and then stroll in as if they have never been gone. It is in their nature to hunt, explore, and enjoy the great outdoors.
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Should I be worried if my cat hasn't come home?

Even if you do not find your cat straight away continue looking, advertising, and visiting local animal agencies to look for your cat. Many cats will hide for a long time if they are afraid, and may only be found or return home after days or even weeks so you shouldn't give up.
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Do cats run away if they are unhappy?

Stress. Stress is another common reason why cats run away. Cats are creatures of habit – they don't like changes in the household or to their routine.
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Do cats get lost easy?

Yes, some cats leave home for whatever reason and don't want to be found. Try anyway. The stats for lost cats returning home without intervention are about 2%. The odds are improved by having a microchip and wearing a collar and tag.
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Can cats sense when you're coming home?

Besides their hearing, cats have another trick they use to figure out exactly when you are coming home. They have a good sense of time, which means cats can figure out when in the day you are coming home.
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