The Lost Outdoor Cat

Cats are territorial, you will remember the first time you let them out, that they stayed quite close to the door sniffing around and slowly widening and marking their area, because this is THEIR AREA your cat is laying claim to it's territory. If it smells other cats it will neutralize the threat by marking the area. When your cat has a sufficient area of territory (usually just beyond your garden boundary) it will not usually leave it for any great periods of time unless it has been scared by something.

If your cat has been frightened out of it's safe zone, it is technically lost but will usually return after dark when it perceives the threat to have diminished. If it does not return after 24 hours then it is possibly actually lost or hiding and may need your help/encouragement to return home.

It is probably not far away.

The Lost Indoor Cat

As with outdoor cats the indoor cat can be frightened away as well. If it escapes, the only difference is that it has not defined it's own territory and does not have any experience of the outside. So if it escapes and you are chasing it, try not to scream and shout, it is probably terrified already. just follow it quickly and watch where it goes to ground, it will try to find somewhere to hide and take stock of it's surroundings.

If you don't see it escape you should sprinkle it's food and any used litter around the garden to help it find it's way home, search the area, an indoor cat is rarely far away and will hide until nightfall where it will then try to find it's way home or explore it's surroundings.

All outdoor cat owners have experienced this feeling, the first time their cat disappeared from sight and they had to go indoors and hope that the cat would find it's way home. When it does, it's return should be rewarded with infinite treats and love as much as you probably want to ground it forever!