AIBU to feel too anxious about my cat being late home?

[catsoutthehouse]

We have a lovely cat and love him so much. He's one year old. He's a big mouser and goes out overnight, returning like clockwork at around 7.30am. He has not been home yet, so is now 3.5 hours late. I worry so much that something has happened to him! I've been out shaking a bag of his favourite treats, he is nowhere near. AIBU to think I'm too nervous to have a cat??

I’m exactly the same which is why I have GPS trackers - although they create their own anxieties too as mine are prone to taking the collars off. I hope he’s home soon.

Are you able to get into any of the areas you think he goes into? Honestly I'd be getting everyone to check garages, sheds or outbuildings etc at this point. I'd use the light while you have it. Maybe put food out in your garden and bang the dishes loudly.

Sometimes if cats are hurt or not well they withdraw and hide. It may well be he's not far away at all, just hiding.

Hr may have got into a fight with another cat or fox last night and it's given him a fright so he's hiding.

When he gets back, tell him he's expected back in by 9 pm each night without fail. He's on a purrfew.

Mine come and go as they please but they are never far away. I thought one was missing recently and eventually found her asleep at the back of my wadrobe on a pile of scarves. But not before I'd scoured the neighbourhood!

An update!!! He's home😍😍😍 I'm so incredibly happy. We were having dinner and suddenly heard miawoing! He's eaten a full bowl full and is now asleep on our bed - I wonder what he's been up to.

Thank you all so much for being so reassuring. I might get a tracker though he's managed to get a collar off before.

I think I won't panic as quickly next time, maybe he's getting older and more brave!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣I'll try and tell him!

Cats are not nocturnal creatures. They’re crepuscular, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. I get it’s summer but you shouldn’t keep your cat out all night - it’s cruel and he’s probably finding another house to sleep in as he can’t get in yours. Also, cats that roam are night on average die years and years and years earlier than those that don’t.

Great news! Naughty boy
At least if he loses a tracking collar you know where it is, although that doesn’t help you find him! One of my neighbours has an impenetrable thicket where you might expect a garden and my cat has left at least six tracking collars in there. If she (neighbour) ever decides to tackle it, I am hoping she will bring them all back 🤦‍♀️🤣

To be honest I thought it was more cruel to leave them inside at night, he's desperate to go out in the night! He miaows forever if we don't let him out!

I mean, just have a quick google and nowhere tells you that’s cats should be out at night - from Cat’s Protection to RSPCA to vets, they all say keep them in.

And this here, average life expectancy of a free roaming cat is 2-5yrs compared to 15-17yrs or more for other cats.

Fair enough. We shall keep him in then! I think the difficulty will be that he wants to go out in that evening, I might not find him in time to lock him in.

I thought that having a roaming cat means accepting something will happen to them one day.
Their average life span is about half of the indoor ones because of the risks.

Yes of course at some point I suppose. But I do think keeping cats inside is just totally against their nature so I wouldn't ever keep an indoor cat just so I don't have to worry!

I second getting a collar tracker. Our cat got out a top window and onto the neighbor's roof. We were only able to find her and help her back inside due to the tracker. And some meowing.

About a quarter actually!

Just feed him morning and late evening so he comes home for food. It’s not that hard!

You do get used to it. One of mine disappeared for 10 hours the other day (unheard of for him) but he did return eventually. They have 24/7 access to outdoors.

Cats hunt and kill their own food - a bowl of wet food isn't always that appealing!

Yay! Glad he's back.

OP, he may well just sleep all night now on your bed. So let him out tomorrow morning and then try to get into a routine where he comes home and stays in at night. Once the weather gets cold he won't want to be out all night anyway.

Honestly, cats who are out all night wander much further and it's always a risk, even though you live rurally. Rural lanes are the worst actually. Plus there are foxes - they don't usually attack cats but you never know.

The times they like to be out is evening and then early morning. They don't need to be out all night at all. I have 6 cats and they would be livid if out all night.

And def get a tracker!

I’ve had loads of cats over the decades @catsoutthehouse . In my experience male cats, even neutered, like to roam, especially at night. Thomas, a huge black and white boy, would disappear for three or four days at a time. First time it happened I was beside myself. Ronnie, my ginger tom, ruled the hood, and had various different homes along the road, would regularly drop in on neighbouring bungalows through open windows in the summer months .

I love the independence of cats, and feel blessed when they deign me with their presence. I know they’re home because they choose to be, and not because I’m keeping them inside. Have recently been adopted by a neighbouring Tom, who appeared as a kitten through our cat flap two years ago. He drops in for his dinner at seven every night, then sleeps in the greenhouse. I call him Toby. He’s gorgeous. Chairman Meow, my blue Persian doesn’t approve, but then he approves of very little. He rules the others with an iron paw. He never leaves the garden, only eats chicken and tuna, and Dreamies are a god given right not a treat. I’m allowed to sleep in the same bed as him, so know my place.

Cats are beautiful individuals. Enjoy yours and relax. And know your place, they own you not the other way around 😂

Im glad he’s home OP!

My cat also loves being out at night.

We have a cat flap (which we can lock in order to keep her in) but anytime we do that she sits at the front or back door and just cries constantly until we let her out.

She does have an outdoor cat house in the back garden (it’s on legs and insulated) where she has all her fluffy blankets and she chooses to sleep in there overnight rather than come back in the house.

We get up in the morning at 7.30am, open the back door and call her name and she casually appears from her cat-house and comes in for her breakfast.

She’s out from about 10pm usually.

Excellent news.

Bloody hell - you feed your neighbours’ cat every night? That’s awful