Indoor cat has decided to be a outside cat

by Wendy
(Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Our 1 1/2 year old male spayed cat has always been inside. A few weeks ago my 8 year old son took the cat out side and now he does not want to live in the house. will he leave and not come back or are they able to smell our scent and know where to return to? He is a beloved part of our family and if he went missing my son would be devastated. How worried should I be?

Reply
Hi
You should not worry at all about him leaving home. cats are smart and they know when they are onto a good thing. Food, shelter and comfort are very important to them and so as long as they are happy at home i.e. getting all of the above and have a loving family then there is no reason for him to leave. All he wants is to be a cat and be able to cat things outside such as have a territory and to explore and chase things etc.

Cats are very good at finding there way home even if they wander quite some distance. they have senses we don't have and which are much better than our own, the sense of smell for instance.

So no don't worry, he is just being a cat. It may be a good idea to have him micro chipped though just in case he does get lost one day and then people will be able to return him to you.
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/microchipping.html

best wishes kate

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