Freiganger: how long do cats stay away?

Routinized free-rangers return to their homes every day - Image: Shutterstock / Elena Eliachevitch

How long cats stay away depends on different and individual factors. Maybe your cat just has a mind of its own and comes and goes as it pleases. You can still try to train your cat to come home every day at a fixed time or on a certain signal.

This is how long outdoor cats can be on the road

Whether your cat stays away for two, three or four days or comes back home every evening is first of all a question of habit. Some cats only go out for a few hours and then want to be let back in. Provided that your velvet paw remains true to its usual rhythm, everything is usually fine.

However, there are some factors that lead to longer outdoor excursions:

Unneutered male cats cats on a bride hunt often cover several kilometers effortlessly and sometimes stay away from home for up to two weeks.
Unneutered cats Also stay away from home longer during heat than their neutered counterparts.
The Season Plays a role: in spring and summer, there is more prey and other interesting things for outdoor cats to discover, so they stay out longer. In autumn and winter, on the other hand, the uncomfortable weather often drives them back to their warm home more quickly and the trips become shorter.
Your Cat has not lived with you for a long time or you have moved house? Then the cat will probably stay away longer in the beginning, because there is still so much to explore in the new environment.

Cat care and cat keeping
Cat attitude

Outdoor cat after the move: What you need to consider when changing the territory

outdoor cats are cats which do not live only in the apartment or in the house. A move is therefore double.

How to teach your cat to come home in the evening

Ideally, your pet will not stay away for so long that you start to worry. You can do something about it by neutering your cat. So he has one less reason to go far away from home and stay away for days on end. In addition, you reliably prevent unwanted offspring in this way.

What else helps:

Teach your house cat its name as a signal to come to you.
When you get a new cat or move, keep the cat indoors for about four weeks. So the velvet paw gets used to its new home.
Call the animal always at the same time again in the house, so that a routine arises.
Reward your cat with cuddles and a treat, which he especially likes to eat, if he responds to your calls and comes home on command.
Always let the cat out through the same door. It’s best to choose a door facing the garden, not the street. When going indoors, on the other hand, all doors are open for your cat.
Do not give your cat too much food before you let it out of the house. If she gets hungry, she usually comes home by herself.

Outdoor cat suddenly stays away for days: Possible reasons

Your outdoor cat stays away longer than usual and may not have reappeared after several days? Then something may prevent your otherwise reliable house cat from returning home.

Reasons for staying away for a long time could be:

The outdoor cat was chased away from its territory – for example by another cat – and now does not dare to come back.
Your cat has been accidentally or intentionally locked in the house.
Your cat has been caught, for example by animal welfare, who thought the pelt-nose was a stray.
Your outdoor cat has injured itself and cannot return home under its own power.
Your cat has left its territory and can’t find its way back despite its good sense of direction.
The furry cat has looked for a new home.

Cat Education
Cat education

Why do cats look for a new home?

You see your outdoor cat less and less often in your house? When she is at home, she acts.

Your outdoor cat has disappeared? What you can do

One thing in advance: have your cat chipped and registered. This way you increase your chances that your pet will be returned to you if it does not find its way back home on its own. Because: veterinarians and animal shelters can quickly determine the owner’s data with the help of the chip and an appropriate reader.

Other measures to recover the free-roamer can be:

Find, call and attract the cat
Scanning the surroundings, especially for possible hiding places and traps
interviewing neighbors
Post notices in the neighborhood and at the vet’s office
Inform animal protection societies and animal shelters
Place advertisements in daily newspapers and on the Internet

Another tip: Be sure to continue your search in the evening hours as well. Then it is quieter, your pelt-nose can hear your calls better and dares to come out of its possible hiding place sooner.