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Cats/Could our lost cat make its way home?

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Expert: - 5/9/2009


Question
We have been feeding a feral cat for the last 8 months. She's probably just over a year old. Our male cat brought her home for lunch one day, she was just a bundle of bones. Since them she has made our home with us and had kittens in our carport 10 weeks ago. I took her to the vet 2 days ago for spaying but he let her escape. I am left with 3 kittens and a mate that are missing her and calling her. Oh and one other thing, she's pregnant again.... probably about four weeks. The vet is 25 miles from our home.

I have a few questions that I hope you can help with.
Could the cat get back to us? If she were to try, how far could she travel in a day? In other words how long before I might see her? days? weeks? months? years?

Also, her mate has now been missing for 24hrs. He ate breakfast yesterday and hasn't been back since. He is an ex-stray that adopted us and we have been feeding for about a year and a half. This is a cat that likes his food... he would not miss a meal without reason. Could he have gone to look for his queen?  

Answer
Babs,

Cats do form emotional attachments so it's possible that your kitties will make it home safely. I've heard stories of cats finding their way home over thousands of miles, the distance they cover in a day depends on the cat's overall health, the weather conditions, how many major roads they have to cross, etc....All you can do at this point is to put lost kitty posters up and hope that someone finds them and calls you or they return home on their own. I wouldn't be surprised if the cats show up in time for mom to have her babies or they may even bring them home once they're old enough to travel...

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Ali

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I am the proud guardian of 5 mixed breed cats ranging from 12 weeks to 13 years old and one purebred ragdoll. I have 20+ years experience working with mixed breed cats from a variety of different situations. I have fostered cats/kittens with special needs/behavioral issues. I have rescued/rehabilitated/re-homed a variety of stray/abused cats. I can offer advice on managing feral cat colonies, rehabilitating strays and finding them forever homes. I can help you to determine whether a cat is stray or feral, there IS a significant difference. Improperly introducing a new cat/kitten can result in aggression between newly introduced cats because cats are territorial by nature and they don't like sudden changes in their environment. To learn more about a peaceful way to introduce a new cat into a home with other cats please check out my previous answers on this subject. Proper nutrition for cats can be confusing, I recommend checking out catinfo.org which was created by a veterinarian (Dr. Lisa Pierson) who takes a common sense approach to explaining feline nutrition. Cat behavior and instincts are different from those of humans, I can help you understand your cat's needs so that you can meet them adequately and have a balanced, psychologically and physically sound kitty. Cats vary in personality, energy level and intelligence, different approaches may be required to achieve results in terms of training and interaction with your feline companion. An intelligent, high energy cat must be kept busy or they will make their own fun. I am NOT a licensed veterinarian and I can't offer medical advice. If your cat is ill/injured my advice is always the same: get prompt medical treatment provided by a veterinarian. If finances are an issue I will try to find resources in your area that can help with medical costs or make other choices to ensure the welfare of your cat.

Experience

I have fostered feral and stray cats, rehabilitated and homed cats that many people recommended euthanasia for. I am willing to make an effort to do the research and ask questions because I care enough to find solutions to behavioral problems rather than giving up. I have an interest in the use of alternative therapies to help provide the best possible care for all cats and I can say in all honesty that I've seen some incredible things happen for some incredible cats and their human caregivers when the right alternative therapeutic modality is used by a qualified veterinarian with expertise and experience in the field.

Education/Credentials
I've earned my diploma as a veterinary assistant with honors.

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