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How Far Do Cats Roam From Their House

Cats Impact On Their Environment

Cat Tracker experiment seeks to follow how far from home the cats will roam

An outdoor cat can affect the world in which they roam. If your pet cat is an outdoor cat, they can affect their environment in many ways. For example, many people have an outdoor cat to help keep rodent populations down. This is especially true for farm cats. But the domestic cat and wild cat populations continue to grow and have a tremendous impact on the wildlife in their territory. National Geographic states:

âThere are so many cats in the country that they could be doing damage to our wild animal populations,â he said. âBut it really depends on if they are hunting in urban areas or moving out into our nature preserves.â (See â Vasectomies Could Cut Feral Cat Population Barbara King of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, an expert on feline behavior who isnât involved in the project, said Cat Tracker is a great way to solve this important mystery, since more hard data on cat predation is âsorely needed.â Not to mention, as King said, âit would just be fascinating to learn how far they go and where!â In addition, following in feline footsteps could elucidate how their âoutdoor dietâ relates to disease and parasites, noted NC State veterinarian Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf , whoâs part of the project.

Origins Of The Domestic Cat

Cats began their unique relationship with humans 10,000 to 12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, the geographic region where some of the earliest developments in human civilization occurred . One such development was agriculture. As people abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and settled permanently to farm the land, stored grain attracted rodents. Taking advantage of this new, abundant food source, Middle Eastern wildcats, or felix silvestris lybica, preyed on the rodents and decided to stick around these early towns, scavenging the garbage that all human societies inevitably producejust as feral cats do today.

Over thousands of years, a new species of cat eventually evolved that naturally made its home around people: felis catus. Today, pet, stray, and feral cats belong to this species that we call the domestic cat.1

Why Do Cats Escape

Although cats do not have built in Google Maps, they are highly intelligent and sensitive animals. They have privileged instincts and environmental stimuli can both capture their attention and awaken their curiosity. This is why, despite having a comfortable home life indoors, the outdoor environment can seem to provide a lot of entertainment and distraction.

The attraction of outside may be found in a potential mate, prey animals, beguiling smells or whatever piques their interest. This is why many cats try to escape. A cat running away may be trying to exercise their hunting skills, mate or simply to indulge their natural curiosity.

In general, cats which have not yet been sterilized have a greater predisposition towards escape. Satisfying their sexual desire can be a great temptation as they want to reproduce. For this reason, sterilization for cats is recommended. It will not only curb this desire and prevent unwanted pregnancy, but it will reduce the likelihood of developing behavioral issues, help prevent disease, reduce aggression and stop accidents which occur from escape attempts. In fact, one study suggests that sterilization can eliminate escapism and roaming behavior related to sexual desire in 90% of cases.

  • Neurotic
  • Impulsive
  • Agreeable
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    How Far Does Your Cat Roam

    Heidy Kikillus and a cat fitted with a GPS unit and harness to record its wanderings as part of the Cat Tracker project.

    Its 10 pm. Do you know where your cat is? Would you believe it could roam up to 30 km in a week?

    Despite living alongside humans for so long, cats can have a very aloof and mysterious nature. It is fascinating that one of the animals that we commonly keep around is also the one whose habits we know the least. What other pet do we allow to wander freely and unsupervised for the majority of the time? Dogs must often be registered and contained to their owners property, yet in many areas cats are allowed to roam where and when they want.

    Where do pet cats actually go when they leave through the cat flap? Previous research on the ranges covered by pet cats has typically focused on very few cats, making it difficult to generalise the results beyond the cats involved in the particular study.

    The Cat Tracker project was deliberately established to track a large number of cats. It was initiated in the USA but has expanded through international collaborators to several other countries, including Australia and New Zealand.

    While cats are popular pets, they are also introduced predators in these countries and may negatively impact rare native wildlife. Hence, a better understanding of their movements may help balance cats and conservation.

    Can A Cat Get Lost

    How far from home do domestic cats roam and what distance ...

    Cats have an exceptional sense of direction thanks to their powerful sense of smell. They can find their way back home because they leave olfactory tracesalong the way. During its walks, your cat rubs its face, scratches trees, and pees to diffuse its pheromones and leave a trace. Even if they remain very rare, there are stories of cats finding their way back home after months of wandering.

    So, can a cat ever get lost? It is not very probable, but it can get scared by a loud noise, a stressful situation or can get carried away by prey and struggle to find its way back home.

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    Where Do Cats Go When They Run Away

    Where Do Cats Go When They Run Away?

    The study reported that 93% of all lost dogs found their way home, but only 74% of the lost cats were ever found. A non-profit organization in Mukilteo, Washington called the Community Cat Coalition wrote an article suggesting several insightful reasons why lost cats that end up at shelters are less likely to be reunited with their families than dogs. A lost cat will tend to hide and keep away from humans. Armed with that fact, you now have the power to swing the odds wildly in favor of your cat being returned quickly if he or she is ever lost: put a collar and ID tag on your cat, even an indoor cat. The top two reasons that owners cite for not having tags on their cats: my cat is an indoor cat, and my cat doesnt like collars. One study found that 41% of owners searching for missing cats said their cat was an inside only cat. With proper ID, odds are your cat will never end up at a shelter to be adopted or worse.

    What are the chances of finding a lost cat? The study reported that 93% of all lost dogs found their way home, but only 74% of the lost cats were ever found. Of those lucky dogs, 15% were reunited through the use of an ID tag or microchip but only 2% of cats.

    Why Do Cats Run Away From Home

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    Some of us might feel reluctant to let our kitty roam outside of the safety of our home. There are those who live in areas that its just not possible and then there are those cat parents who let their feline companions explore the outside world freely.

    Whichever the case might be, finding out that your kitty has run away or has been missing for longer than usual can be truly a horrifying experience.

    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.

    If you want to find out, why do cats run away from home and how to prevent it, then keep on reading!

    Lets begin!

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    My Cat Left Home And Never Returned

    There are many cases in which the cat did not return to the house after leaving the house. During the cats journey, she may have an accident or eat something poisonous after which he dies. Even in just a few hours outside the house, something unexpected can happen and your pet may not return home safely.

    Although owners are always hoping and looking for their cat, the fact is that bad things are happening on the street and you need to be more careful in the future.

    Look at your cat as an equal member of the family and protect her in every way so that she does not leave her home irretrievably.

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    Where Your Cat Goes May Blow Your Mind | National Geographic

    The new Cat Tracker project maps outdoor movements of pet felines.

    Ever wondered where your cat slinks off to when it goes outside?

    Cat Tracker, a new crowdsourced mapping project, encourages owners to put GPS collars on domestic cats to monitor their movements and activities aroundand sometimes well beyondthe ‘hood.

    The resulting data could help conservationists save wildlife that the cats prey on, as well as reveal new insights into cat behavior, experts say.

    Our pet cats are a pretty lazy bunch, sleeping or at least lying around well over 90 percent of the time. But still, when that screen door shuts behind them, our felines are prone to roam.

    One thing that makes the Cat Tracker project different from other animal-tracking efforts is that anyone in the U.S.and now in New Zealand and Australiacan participate. A cat owner must simply buy or borrow a GPS unit and make a harness to hold it on the cat, using a method explained on the Cat Tracker website.

    After seven days, owners download the tracking data , and boom, the cat’s movements are transformed into a starburst of lines on a satellite map.

    So far, the Cat Tracker teama partnership between Your Wild Life and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in collaboration with Movebank, an online database that houses animal-movement datahas posted movement maps for about 50 cats. They’re aiming for at least a thousand before this phase of the project wraps up.

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    What Should I Do With A Sick Or Injured Stray/feral Cat

    If you find an injured stray or feral cat and they’re approachable, please confine them and take them to a vet, if possible. If this is not possible, please get in contact with us on;0300 1234 999.

    If taking a sick/injured stray cat to the vets and the cat just needs minimum care, you might be expected to take the cat away and fit a paper collar if needed.

    How Likely Are Bengal Cats To Run Away

    Bengal cats are not likely to run away. Although they are very sociable and adventurous cats and naturally like to explore, they do not dart away from their home territory. Bengal cats find comfort in a home environment, and most indoor pets are like this.;

    If your Bengal cat was raised indoors, they are even less likely to run away, and that most might only travel 10 meters or so. If you want to limit the likelihood of your cat running away, then its best to raise them indoors than outdoors.

    In general, outdoor cats especially have a personality geared towards exploration and being adventurous. If they see something off in the distance, there is a chance that they may try to run over to that location. If the distance is super far, your cat probably wont bother with it.

    Just like any other cat breed, Bengal cats are avid observers. So, just because you let your cat outside, even if they are an indoor cat, the likelihood of them running away is just very low.

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    How Far Cats Roam Depends On Several Factors

    Research shows that the area through which a cat travels, varies greatly depending on the environment, availability of food, and mating partners. For example, the distance a cat would not be the same in New York City as the outback of Australia, right?

    The average Male cat reportedly wanders anywhere from 2.1 acres up to 1038 acres in the wild environment. Wild cats have to hunt for their food which is a factor.

    On average, the size of a territory covered by a cat is:

    • 42 acres for female cats;
    • 153 acres for male cats.

    If we assume those areas are a circular with a catâs home in the center, means a male cat on average wanders 500 meters away from their home. A female cat being less curious and not searching for mates like their male counterparts walk approximately 230 meters away from home.

    The reality is that these territories are never circular and distances of how far cats roam will vary highly. It depends on the area, spay/neuter status of the cat, food available, the catâs personality and other factors.

    Launching A Missing Cat Alert

    How Far Do Cats Roam? Maybe Not as Far as We Think!

    If a cat breaks its routine, it is important to report it. Notify your vet that your cat has gone missing, they will be on the lookout if someone brings a cat that might look like yours. Be sure to microchip your cat beforehand and update their data regularly. You can also let yourlocal animal wardenknow that your cat has gone missing.

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    How To Make An Indoor Cat Happy

    In many cases, a cat that has gone missing has likely not been neutered. Keeping a neutered or spayed cat home will be easier and might prevent your cat from going after others in heat.

    Brushing your cat and treating fleas is still very important even when your cat is not going outside. It is also important to give your indoor cat what they will find outside for their physical and mental wellbeing, such as:

    • Catnip to satisfy their need for nature. Catnip is also known to aid digestion and promote regurgitation of hairballs once ingested. A godsend when you know that cats swallow quite a bit of hair during grooming.
    • A clean and accessible litter.
    • Toys as well as playtimethat mimics hunting. Even domesticated, cats still have a hunting instinct. Toys can vary from mice, pillows, and feathery toys.
    • A cat tree will allow your cat to get higher from the ground. They can also sharpen their claws on it, without damaging your furniture.
    • Hiding places where they can feel safe and not get disturbed.
    • Reduced food portions. Since your cat will not be exercising outside, it is important to watch what they eat.

    Whether it has gone hunting, mating, or is lost, it is essential to not waste any time once you have realised your cat has gone missing. You should contact and notify local groups as well as wardens and neighbours. If your cat comes back, you will only have to notify everyone of its return. If it does not, you can maximise your chances of getting your cat back.

    Can Cats Find Their Way Home From Miles Away

    It depends on the cat. An outdoor cat can roam for miles and still make its way home, while an indoor cat who just happened to get out of the house accidentally may be too scared to trust its inner compass, get confused, and end up lost.

    On average, a cat that is more than a third of a mile away from home will likely be in unfamiliar territory, which may affect its ability to determine which way to go to return.

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    How Far Do Cats Roam

    If you let your cat walk outside freely, you must have wondered where she is going. The Cat Tracker Project was created to investigate the movements of domestic cats, and their behavior in the outside world.

    The project includes a team of scientists, students, journalists and curious cat lovers, as well as the Museum of Natural Sciences of North Carolina and Movebank an online database that collects information on the movements of various domestic and wild animals.

    Project leader Roland Kays has said that nearly 100 million cats living in the U.S. can have a significant impact on bird and other animal populations but it is important to find out whether cats hunt more in urban areas or outside them.

    Anthropologist Barbara King of William & Mary University of Virginia, who is an expert on feline behavior , also believes that this is a great way to solve the puzzle of feline movement and eliminate existing doubts and prejudices.

    How does the project work?1. Interested owners are invited to equip their cats with GPS devices and thus enable tracking of their activities.

    2. The owner buys or hires a GPS device and makes ammo that holds this device on the cats back.

    3. The cat is allowed to do everything else and after at least 7 days of active use, the data from the GPS is sent to the central system and become lines paths on the map

    The data obtained in this way have several useful purposes.

    Can Cats Find Their Way Home If Lost

    What Do Cats Do At Night When They Go Outside?

    Cats seem to have a sort of homing instinct which in some cases have guided cats to travel hundreds of miles back to their home. Most indoor-only cats tend not to travel far. While an adventurous indoor/outdoor cat is more likely to roam, a scared cat may not trust their inner compass, get confused and get lost.

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