Did your cat flee? Do you ever feel abandoned by your lovely little furry friend? Wondering Where did you go wrong or why would someone flee their own family? Or are you someone who is afraid that your cat will one day leave you?
In any case, do not worry. After years of experience with my own feline pets, and being in the vet clinic, I have finally learned cat psychology.
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Do Cats Disown Their Houses?
Yes! Cats are notorious for abandoning their owners. There are multiple reasons of doing so, including reproduction needs, hunting, fear, owner’s carelessness, etc.
However, once a cat leaves its home, it is sometimes difficult for it to come back even if it wants to. According to research, 93% of indoor cats who escape to the outside do not find their way back.
But the point is, why in the first place they thought of leaving the house? Why would your loved one abandon you in such a manner and cause you such worry?
Let us discuss all the possible reasons that make your cat take this big step.
Cat's Reasons For Leaving Their Owners:
Here are the most common reasons for cats to leave their homes:
Wanting A Partner And Eloping
The reproductive instinct of cats, which is high in females in heat and unneutered male cats, is the primary cause of cat escape
No barrier is high enough to stop them as they increasingly explore the outer world in search of a mate. The need is quite powerful and frequently causes people to go into risky situations or even have accidents. Remember to provide your friend with a GPS tracking device.
Prey Drive And Leaving The House
You believed that your cat would quit hunting if you fed it luxury food.
No! Cats of all sizes are natural hunters. Even when they are full, your adorable little fella loves to go on a good search. It plays a significant role in their feline nature.
Their Own Kingdom's Ruler
The region of your home where a cat spends most of its time is considered its territory. Your cat will probably try to expand their domain if they feel safe, thereby exploring other nearby areas.
The drawback of this regal behavior is that your friend will be more likely to engage in combat with other cats, suffer injuries protecting their territory, and become exposed to diseases like feline AIDS.
Abandonment And Carelessness
Two further reasons why your cat might not return home include neglect and abandonment. Your cat might go for shelter, affection, and care elsewhere if you regularly leave them at home alone or don’t give them enough food, water, or anything else they need to survive and have a good life. Similar to this, your cat can leave home if you fail to take care of them properly or if your home has been neglected.
Fear
A scaredy-cat is another typical explanation for a missing cat. Your cat may enter the fight, flight, or freeze mode if anything frightens them away. This is part of their natural fear response. Flight: Your cat will take off running. Freeze: Your cat will remain still and likely hide nearby, but it might be too frightening to emerge from hiding or make a sound. A GPS cat tracker is one of the most reliable ways to find your cat and bring it home right away if you fear that it was spooked into running away or hiding.
Cheating And Abandonment
Do cats cheat just like people do? Sadly, they do, yes. Most likely with your next-door neighbor or someone who is kinder and better at feeding you than you are.
Perhaps they have more entertaining toys or better food than you do at home.
If you discover that your cat has a second residence, politely request that your neighbors stop giving your cat food (at least too much). Put an ID tag and safety collar on your cat so that it is obvious that they are part of your family and won’t accidentally be “adopted,” even if the cat wants to.
Being Pregnant And Emigrating.
In relation to cats in heat, if your cat successfully satisfies their mate-seeking desire, you can end up with a pregnant cat. Additionally, pregnant cats frequently hide. Cats that are pregnant frequently look for a remote, secure area to give birth to their babies.
Therefore, if your home is chaotic with dogs or kids running around, don’t be shocked if your pregnant pet disappears since she is concerned for the welfare of her unborn offspring.
Inquisitiveness, The Reason For Leaving You
Cats are naturally curious creatures who prefer to explore and follow their interests; hence they frequently flee. Perhaps your cat enjoys chasing the pretty butterflies or bugs
-distractions!
Maybe a friendly squirrel or a young child from the neighborhood distracted them. Your fella is likely to wander away from home, especially if there is anything alluring nearby. They’ll leave your lap in pursuit of excitement even in pleasant weather.
Therefore, if you have an adventurous, curious cat, know that it’s completely normal. However, there are several precautions we may take to keep our outside feline friends safe. This is crucial since your cat can be in danger if it disappears while not looking. Many cats become stuck in various narrow spaces, such as fences, tubs, etc., while trying to explore new places, whether they are preoccupied or just interested.
How To Prevent A Cat From Abandoning Your Home?
Here are the few things that help avoid your cat escaping your home:
Neutering/ Castration
Desexing the cat by following the medical procedures for neutering/ castration helps control the behaviors affected by hormonal surges. This procedure is formally known as orchiectomy or orchidectomy. It involves two lateral cuts and removing some reproductive parts so sophisticatedly that no external sutures are required. Orchiectomy also helps you tame your pet much better.
However, do not try any desexing procedure at home. Always look for a registered and trained medical professional to perform any such medical function on your pet.
Use A GPS Tracker
When this happens, a cat GPS tracker comes in quite handy! Using this allows you to keep track of your cat at all times and assist them immediately if you suspect difficulty.
I personally prefer Tractive Waterproof GPS Cat Tracker for Twilight (my three years old Persian cat). With this, you can always check where your cat is by tapping the LIVE button in the app. Are you worried your playful naughty little pet will get into trouble with a tracking collar? Never fear! The Tractive GPS Cat Tracker’s breakaway mechanism ensures that the collar will instantly “break” apart in the event of pressure and that it may be quickly reattached to your feline.
Give Enough Activity To Your Cat
Give your cat enough physical activity and distractions in the home that it does not need to look for anything else. You can invest in fantastic cat toys that help it calm its natural hunting instints. Toys allow your pet to exercise and keep it physically and mentally engaged. Therefore, they do not think about exploring other options to avoid boredom. And above all, they keep your feline friend physically fit; a perfect go-to for the cats moving towards obesity.
Also, if your cat is too much into hunting these days, get some moving toys that mimic the shape of birds or mice. This helps them replicate and rest their instincts.
There are multiple great cat toys available on Amazon. I recently got some for Twillight, and believe me; they are worth my bucks. Here are some recommendations for you:
No Punishing
Do not punish your cat or adopt negative reinforcement. Once your pet loses trust in you, demotes you from being alpha, or starts fearing you, it will surely try to find ways to escape. Moreover, be aware of its needs. If you are not giving it what it needs or are too busy that you neglect its presence, it will have to find other means to get it.
Conclusion:
Cats are not disloyal pets. However, there are some catalyzing factors that make your pet abandon you. According to research, most of the cats escaping their home are because of poor owner behaviors or reproduction needs.
So, look into the problem and fix it. Also, do not forget to get the right long-range GPS tracker for your cat in case anything goes wrong; you can easily track it.
I hope this article helped you answer your query. In case of any further questions, comment below or contact us through email. I would be happy to help.
I am a graduate of a veterinary university. Dealing with all the kinds of pets from the dawn to dusk, it’s like understanding their language. That is the best time ever, I must say!
Writing has always been my orphenadrine. I love to share my experience and talk about the most common issues people have been facing with their pets. My writing career began in 2015. I aimed to work for pets to share my experience and make pet humans relation a lot better. I usually talk about the most significant or recurrent cases of the day. During my practice at pet centre, I face a lot of questions by pet owners. Moreover, I also own a variety of pets myself including different species of mammals, birds and reptiles.
Therefore, I have decided to educate all the pet owners about their little friends who can’t talk the way we do. Understanding what they are telling us is all we need to do. And most of us fail to perceive.
So, I am here to serve the purpose. Let’s help each other in better understanding the needs, behaviours, and problems of our best friends with the best possible solutions!
