Indoor Cats

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When an indoor cat goes missing, the cat will very likely be hiding. They will also usually hide near to where they escaped from.

Cats are territorial and you can therefore say that your indoor cat’s territory is inside of your home.

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Once they go missing outside of their territory or comfort zone, they will look for a sheltered place to hide due to fear.

Cats that are afraid or injured, will hide in places such as under a deck, under a porch, or in heavy brush and they will likely not meow! Think about it this way, when an indoor cat is scared at home they will hide in a cupboard or in a place where they feel safe.

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A missing indoor cat’s behaviour has nothing to do with their love or lack thereof for you, whether they recognize your voice, or whether they can smell you–it has everything to do with the fact that a frightened cat will hide in silence!

Now if your cat has escaped, your cat is probably not lost at all! That is because it is likely that your cat is hiding and is therefore probably closer than you think!

So ask yourself this: “where is my cat hiding?”

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Outdoor Cats

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Cats that are allowed to venture outdoors can also be hiding in fear.

Outdoor cats can be chased by a bully cat or dog, frightened off by a snake, and they find themselves in a garden that is unknown to them. I have worked on many cases where a cat is only a few houses away due to being temporarily disoriented and unable to return home.

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Some outdoor cats find themselves locked in a garage or outbuilding because they see it as a quiet place to hide.

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While some cats have the remarkable ability to use the homing instinct to work their way back to their territory, other cats seem to be too frightened and need a boost of confidence to do a return trip past the initial obstacle that frightened them.

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A more skittish cat will likely find a place to hide near to where they went missing, while a more confident cat could easily travel several blocks away from where they went missing. National Geographic in fact conducted a study by placing a GPS tracker on a cat to see how far they would travel in a single evening.

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When an outdoor cat goes missing, it means that something has happened to the cat to interrupt its behaviour of coming home. Cats are territorial and therefore shouldn’t simply run away from home.

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I suggest that as soon as you note your cat is missing to do an intensive search of your area or the area where they went missing. Looking at every conceivable place for them to hide.

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When outdoor cats go missing the question that guardians need to ask is “What happened to my cat?”

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YOUR CAT COULD:

BE TRAPPED

– Your cat could be up a tree, on a roof, under a house, inside a neighbour’s garage or outbuilding. This means that your cat would likely be within its normal territory, usually a 5-house radius of your home. Just like I suggest to guardians to go to all shelters and SPCA’s and look themselves to see if their cat is there, I suggest the same with neighbours. Request that you can search their property for hiding places.

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BE IN AN UNFAMILIAR AREA

– Cats that are chased from their territory either by dogs, people, or bully cats, and cats that are frightened by fireworks will often become end up in unfamiliar territory. Many of these cats, once their adrenaline levels have subsided, will work their way back home, often showing up the next day or a few days later. But others, especially those with skittish temperaments, will be so panicked by the experience that they will hide in fear and will be too afraid to return home.

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A cat in unfamiliar territory can behave like a feral cat, afraid of humans.

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HAVE BEEN FOUND

– When a cat is found they can either be taken to a vet, shelter, SPCA or even kept by the people who found them!

I recommend that you microchip your pets and have them wear a cat safe collar and ID tag.

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HAVE BEEN KILLED BY A PREDATOR 

- This is sad to think about, but it does happen. Birds of prey are predators that occasionally pick up cats and small dogs if the opportunity presents itself.

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HAVE BEEN UNINTENTIONALLY TRANSPORTED OUT OF THE AREA

– curious cats can find themselves transported out of area. They are more likely going to climb into a stranger’s car or open delivery vehicle. There have even been cases of curious cats being found on ships and planes!

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HAVE BEEN INTENTIONALLY TRANSPORTED OUT OF THE AREA

– Know your neighbours. Bird loving neighbours are not necessarily cat friendly for instance. Some cat hating neighbours can scoop your cat up and transport them to a shelter out of area or simply dump them.

Cat theft can also be the case here, which I am finding to be a more regular occurrence.

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BE INJURED, SICK, OR IS DECEASED

– Injured, sick, or frightened cats will hide in silence. Hiding in silence is a protective mechanism that cats use to protect themselves from predators. This behaviour as protective as it is – can be to your cat’s detriment. Fast acting guardians doing intensive neighbourhood searches as soon as they note their cat to be missing can be lucky enough to find their missing cat.