Why Do Cats Go Out And Come Home?
The cats come out and come home when they want. Sometimes they are able to stay out for days, returning when we least expect it, or maybe when we have lost all hope of seeing them again.
Cats tend to leave the house out of curiosity, because they are in heat or to socialize with other felines; then, however, they always return home, driven by one or more reasons.
Let’s find out the reasons why cats go out and come home.
Why do cats leave the house?
This phenomenon has always been a great unknown: we do everything to give our cat everything it needs, it lacks absolutely nothing. Still, he still wants to get out of the house. Because? First, there is certainly the independent character of the felines.
Cats are beings who are not accountable to anyone, they always want to do whatever is on their mind.
Driven by their natural curiosity, they are almost unstoppable : they love to investigate, discover everything that is new and do not know not being part of the environment where they grew up.
Another reason cats leave the house is because of the heat period. If this is the time and your cat has easy access to the road, don’t think he’ll think twice about going out. Before you know it, he will have gone out looking for a mate.
This problem is more frequent in the case of females, although even the males know perfectly well when the nearby cats are waiting for them and will not be long in reaching them.
Considering that some precocious cats go into heat as early as 4 or 5 months of age, if you do not want problems of this type, consider the option of neutering them. The same is advised in the case of cats.
Felines, while independent, love to be in packs, a way they prefer to live and hunt. This natural instinct was inherited from wild felines, and is another reason they leave the house and come back: to socialize with other cats. It is a need that they must satisfy.
Moreover, even if it is not very common, there are cats with an independent character that is more marked than normal, which leads them to desire to live in the open air, without depending on or obeying anyone. In these cases they can leave the house and return only if they find nothing to eat outside; or go out and disappear forever.
Why do cats go out and come back?
Now that we know the reasons why cats leave the house, we can delve into the reasons that push them to return. The answer may surprise you. It has always been said that the main reason a cat goes out and comes home is for lack of food. Well, some studies have shown that this is not entirely true.
An analysis carried out at the University of Oregon involved 50 cats living in a home environment. The cats were placed in solitary confinement for a few hours with water, food and toys but without social interaction , with people or with other felines.
When they were released, 63% preferred interacting with humans, while 37% chose to stay close to food.
This shows that not only dogs are man’s best friends: cats are also able to build a strong bond with their owners and always seek their affection and love, not just out of necessity.
This could eradicate once and for all the idea that cats are selfish and interested.
Confirming this is Holly’s story.
It is a kitten who got lost a few months ago during the holidays with her family, 300 km away from home.
The kitten did not give up and returned home 62 days later.
Passed out on the threshold from exertion, once awakened she did not immediately run to look for water and food, but to look for her masters. There is no need to say more!
At the expense of all the myths about the independence and selfishness of cats, we have seen that their love for us goes beyond what we thought. This is one of the main reasons they return home.
