It's common knowledge that cats can find their way around, which is why many cat owners choose to give them the freedom to explore the outside world.

However, pet owners can experience a lot of anxiety around this. What if their kitty doesn't come home? What if they get in trouble? What if they get lost?

This is why we're exploring exactly how they find their way home. We're taking a look at the science behind it and the factors that can affect their ability, so you can relax knowing your fur baby is safe.

Smell: Kitties rely heavily on their own and other cat's scent markers to find their way around. Their sense of smell is around 14 times better than humans, having over 200 million odor sensors in their noses. (source.)) They use this sense to mark their territory and find their way home, following familiar smells along their usual routes.

Hearing: Like many other animals, a cat can hear much higher frequencies than humans. This means they can pick up on certain sounds from long distances and pinpoint their location. By doing this, they can follow sounds from far away, like your voice calling them home for dinner at the end of the day!

Night vision: While a cat's natural sight isn't the strongest, their night vision is far superior to ours. The way their eyes are structured and shaped means they can let in a lot of light in low-light conditions. This can help them find their way around at nighttime, dawn, and dusk when they are most active!

Identify dangers and avoid them

Understand areas to avoid (like roads and train tracks)

Know the territories of neighborhood cats that they shouldn't enter

Build up visual cues and scent markers around their territory

Older cats often lose their hearing

Older cats' sight can decline

Older cats may become disoriented more easily

Storms

Strong winds

Heavy rain

Heavy snowfall

Heavy fog

Fear: If your indoor cat hasn't previously been outside, they'll most likely be quite scared. Loud noises and the unknown may trigger their fight or flight, so instead of focusing on finding their way home, they'll probably hide!

Vulnerability: Because of their fear and lack of experience, they are vulnerable to certain threats and dangers. These can include predators, roads, and other cats. This could lead to your kitty being injured or trapped, effecting their ability to navigate their way home.

Lack of experience: Without experience of their surroundings, they won't have visual or scent markers to help them understand their environment. This means there won't be any clues that can indicate familiar routes home.

Lack of territory: An indoor cat's territory is strictly within the house. They haven't marked their scent anywhere outdoors, so they won't be confident in that environment. This means they'll likely wander into other cats' territories, making it more likely they'll get into a fight.

Report them missing: Many pet owners are reluctant to report their kitty missing if they haven't come home. However, this is one of the most important steps. Making sure local animal shelters, veterinarians, and animal rescue organizations are aware of your furry friend means the chances of someone spotting them or the right sighting getting back to you increases.

Physically search for them: The most effective way to find lost cats is through a thorough physical search. Search under cars, in trees, in backyards, in houses, and in abandoned buildings. The most likely place for your kitty to be is in a secluded hiding spot. Ask your neighbors for help!

Start a PetRadar search: When you report your cat missing with PetRadar, we use social media ads to alert over 4,000 of your neighbors. This means a digital poster of your missing cat will pop up on their feeds when they're scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. They can then report a sighting or send it to a friend. We've already found over 12,000 missing pets this way, so you'll be in good hands!

Lure them home: You can help your cat find their own way home by tapping into their powerful senses. Leaving strong-smelling food outside your house, along with blankets, toys, water, and their litter box, will make it easier for your kitty to pick up a familiar scent and follow it home. You can also keep your windows and doors open so familiar sounds can travel further.

Distribute lost cat flyers: Pinning up lost cat posters around your neighborhood can help spread the message of your missing furry friend even further. Download PetRadar's free, personalized, and printable poster to make the process as easy and simple as possible.