Many of us love our cats. And when they are in the house we can see exactly what they get up to. Unlike dogs – who need to be accompanied when they leave the house – we trust our cats to roam outside freely, without our supervision.
But this can leave us to wonder exactly what our cats get up to when we let them outside.
Here are some of the things that you could find your cat getting up to, if you were small enough to follow them around for the day – for example, by being attached to your cat’s collar, like our unobtrusive Tabcat cat tracker.
Walking Along a Fence
It is often a marvel to owners of cats why they may choose the more difficult route of walking along a fence rather than walking on the path. There isn’t really any reason for this – apart from the fact that they can!
Cats are incredibly skilled at balancing. And if we are honest, they like nothing more than showing off. This means that walking along a fence – to them – is a great way to showcase their skills, while laughing at their human companions who are unable to balance in quite the same way.
Chasing Birds
Being related to lions and tigers, the domestic cat still has some of the predatory instincts that their bigger cousins have. This means that they love chasing away some of the birds and other local wildlife that may come and visit your garden.
If you have a good hunting cat, they may even be successful in capturing their prey. (One way to stop this, of course, is to get them a collar with a bell – which will give the birds ample warning that they are about to be pounced on).
Fighting Other Cats
Fighting is more common in male cats than female cats – usually in those males that haven’t been neutered. Like with human males, of course, fights are often caused by attraction to females, territorial boundaries that are seen to have been compromised, or simply to assert authority over other cats in the area.
Cat fights can be dangerous for the cats, and in some circumstances, your cat may be frightened and chased away, which can lead to them getting lost – another good reason to use a cat finder device, so you can always find your pet in the event of any problems.
Roaming and Exploring
We all know our cats like to explore their local area. And some have a tendency to wander further than other cats. It really does depend on the cat and how curious they are about the world around them, so if your cat is a roamer, then you may be concerned about them getting lost.
In most cases, a cat will know their way back to their home, but sometimes they can become confused about where they have been and become lost without being able to trace their way home.
There’s nothing we can do about a cat’s natural instincts, but obviously, we recommend using a cat locator if you are concerned about where your cat might get to.
Scratching Trees
One of the most natural cat behaviours is scratching. We’re not talking about your hands or legs – which some people, unfortunately, suffer from their cats – but trees. (Some cats will rather irritatingly scratch things around your home, of course. But in the main, if let outside, cats will scratch trees).
They do this to mark their territory. Not only do the scratches show other cats that they are there, but they have scent glands in their paws which leaves a distinct mark on the tree, which can help to ward off other cats.
Of course, there are some cats who prefer to stay indoors – and some cat owners who prefer to let them. But if your cat is in the habit of going outside on a regular basis, what we’ve outlined above are some of the things they are likely to be getting up to.
Why not contact us and send in your own thoughts on what your cat might be doing when outside?
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