29/12/2021
Carolyn Louise Mabry
A cat behavior thing that most cat companions don't know but probably should, something that I have seen over and over and over and even though I don't really understand the "why" behind this behavior, I know it exists: Cats do not really roam. Not even for a cat in heat. Cats have very small territories and they just do not travel far. (Studies with trackers have shown they usually stay within a tiny territory.) Weirdly, though, a house cat who gets out likely sees and hears their human calling ... but they often just won't come back. They get freaked out because they are suddenly in a completely new territory and this can make them either extremely agitated or almost catatonic.
This also applies to outside cats. Let me share an example that just happened. A friend's barn cat, a cat who has always lived in and around their barn and tack room, has been gone for over two weeks. They just heard him in another storage building far from his original territory of the tack room and the pastures, inside the storage building and crying and crying but he wouldn't come to them. This building was packed with stuff and it was hard to reach this cat because he kept weaving through the stuff in a way that made him impossible to grab. Plus he is a huge male cat and he's a barn cat because he bites but he loves these people and he wouldn't come to them even though he was calling for help.
I think what happened, though it's impossible to know, is that a coyote or something chased him into that storage building and then he got shut in there and he was shut in there for at least four days with no food or water.
Now, you'd think that a cat in that situation would just come to their loved ones once those loved ones are around but that's the phenomenon that I've seen many times -- a cat outside its territory that just gets completely freaked out and suddenly views humans, dogs and even other cats it knows as a danger.
It's hard to catch a cat that is in that fight or flight place. And I've seen it even with very timid friendly cats. You have to be very calm, very chill, and let your chill radiate and envelope them and invite them to approach you ... like you would with a feral.
That's what worked with this cat. I didn't want to upset him more because a dehydrated and starving cat can go into cardiac arrest if you stress them more. Cats aren't like dogs. They can't go very long without food. It's unusual to see an emaciated cat because their bodies usually just shut down and they die.
So I coaxed this cat to me. I had to manage some humans too who were upset and their energy was feeding his unrest but I eventually got him to come to me and then coaxed him into a crate of his own accord and returned him to his tack room. He will stay there for a few days, rehydrating slowly and eating small amounts every couple of hours. (Normally I'd take a cat like this to the vet but to say this cat is resistant to examination would be an understatement.)
Which brings me back to my main point -- when a house cat gets out of the house and becomes "lost", they are almost certainly close to the door or window they exited, under a shrub or porch or up in a tree, or in the crawlspace or under a car. They can likely see or hear you but they may not come to you. The best thing you can do is leave food just at the door or window you think they got out of and try to coax them back. If this doesn't work, get a flashlight and look for them at night. The light will reflect off their cool cat eyes and then at least you know approximately where they are. And, trust, they're gonna stay there and are unlikely to travel so you can then begin to woo them out of their hidey hole and calm them out of their agitated state until they come to you again. (Also, check close neighbor's garages and under their houses to see if your friend got closed up while they were investigating a new space and perhaps someone put away a tool and then locked them in.)
So ... cats stay close, they may not respond to you, and once you find them, they may freak out. If you can gather them calmly, it will go easier and they'll settle back down once they are in their familiar place. But it still might take a bit. And they may act like they've never seen your other pets before in their life. But be chill, confine them to a small space and expand that space and introduce the rest of the family slowly. They've been through a traumatic experience.
Also, if they aren't close to home, know that something likely chased them there.
In nature, all cats have a small familiar territory. It's easier to hunt, they don't end up fighting others, there are whatever benefits drew them there (especially watering holes where they can drink but where prey also comes to drink) and it's predictable.
The part I don't understand is the freak out. I just know it happens and to help them you have to be prepared for it. You have to act calm even if you don't feel calm.
One last thing, a lot of folks will tell you that if your cat gets out, you should put the litter box outside. That the smell will draw them. Don't do this! The smell will draw other predators and put your cat in danger (cats cover their p**p for a reason -- predators but it also inhibits their ability to hunt) but your cat likely already knows where home is. Invite them back to the place you think they exited by putting out a good stinky food like sardines near where you think they got out. That smell doesn't carry like a litter box smell and it's a way safer way to woo your cat home.
One last anecdote. I had a feral I was socializing who got out through an open window because he pushed the screen out. I thought that wild child was gone forever but, four days later, I heard a bump on the window of him trying to come back in the exit he had gone out. He'd been in that damn shrub the whole time! I had looked there so many times! Cats are good at being very, very still. So know that. Once I opened the window and set some smelly food just inside it, that completely feral cat willingly came back into my house.
And even my sweetest cat I ever had (before the Voyager Mouse) Cassidy completely freaked out on me one time when he got out in a strange place. It's not you. It's trauma. Be gentle with them.
So... That's what I wanted to share.
