Since there is so little information on cat homing behavior, I started a research survey in 2013. These are the survey results as of July 2018. If your cat has ever displayed homing behavior, please consider taking this very short survey. To take the survey, click here.Homing DefinitionSome lost cats are able to find their way home […]
Many people with a lost pet think that a search dog is the best method for finding their pet. However, most people tend to have unrealistic expectations and a lack of understanding of how a search dog works. I previously wrote an article on considerations for Using a Search Dog, and in this series of articles, I
Using a Search Dog to Track a Lost Outdoor-Access Cat Read More »
Note: This article focuses on a few very old research papers on cat homing behavior. For more recent research, check out my Cat Homing Behavior Survey Results. This new research includes information on how to determine whether your lost cat is likely to display homing behavior. One of the most fascinating, but perhaps least understood
In a joint project by National Geographic and the University of Georgia, outdoor-access house cats were fitted with Kitty Cams, small video cameras that attach to the cat’s collar, to learn about the secretive behavior of free-roaming cats. Data were collected on 55 outdoor-access house cats in Athens, Georgia, from November 2010 to October 2011.
The secretive nature of cats makes it nearly impossible to observe their natural behavior when outdoors. Likewise, few cat owners know where their cats travel or what they do when allowed outside. A new study conducted in Britain used GPS loggers to map the travel of outdoor-access house cats. What makes this study more innovative
New Insights into Cat Behavior Using a GPS Logger and Cat-cam Read More »
I was excited to recently learn about a new research study on the behavior of free-roaming feral and pet cats. Here is a link to a summary of their findings from the Illinois News Bureau. The full research article is available free for download at The Journal of Wildlife Management website. I will also be
Many cat owners believe that a lost cat will find its way home. Lord (2008) conducted a survey of households in Ohio and found that 62% of cat owners believed that if their cat strayed from home they would be able to find their way home on their own. Only 21% of cat owners disagreed
Owners’ of lost cats are frequently concerned with whether their cat might be hiding or lost somewhere in the woods. This is a valid concern since 1) the probability of detection may be very low in the woods depending on the density and type of vegetation; 2) there may be many miles of woods surrounding
Habitat Use of Suburban Cats: do they travel in the woods? Read More »
While the behavior of lost cats is likely to differ from that of outdoor-access or free-ranging (stray, feral or farm) cats, we can still learn something from studying their normal movement patterns. In this post, I want to focus on research studies that measured how far cats normally traveled within their home ranges and the
Before covering additional topics on cat behavior, I wanted to take a moment to review cat research in general. Although the cat is the most popular pet in the US, there is surprisingly little research on its natural behavior. So far I have only been able to find five research studies that focus on the
Pet detectives may advise owners’ of lost cats to search locations that offer safety and familiarity to the lost cat. The general knowledge is that domestic cats will seek shelter in locations that most closely resemble locations that they are familiar with; therefore, a house cat is most likely to seek shelter near or in
The Importance of Shelter for Lost, Stray, and Feral Cats Read More »
If a cat gets lost in the winter, you may have the opportunity to track him/her without the use of a search dog. This method would be most useful for escaped indoor-only cats since they are frequently hiding close to home. However, it may also be useful for finding an outdoor-access cat if there are
