How far do cats roam? What the research says

In a study published in 2020, researchers worked with owners to track 925 pet cats in six countries with GPS collars: 440 in Australia, 230 in New Zealand, 154 in the US and 101 in the UK. The cats had remarkably small home ranges: 3.6 hectares on average, roughly the size of five football pitches. The UK cats averaged 4.6 hectares.

Most of their movement was within about 100 metres of home, and three in four cats spent 90% or more of their time in places shaped by people, such as housing estates and gardens, rather than in natural habitats.

Only three of the 925 cats ranged over more than a square kilometre. One of them was Max, a UK cat who twice walked 1.7 km along a road between two villages in Cornwall.

In the GPS study, rural cats had ranges about 1.6 times larger than town cats, males moved further than females, unneutered cats moved more than neutered ones, and older cats roamed less. Cats Protection's advice points the same way:

• Unneutered male cats can wander far to find a mate, which Cats Protection says makes them more likely to get lost or hurt on the road.
• Female cats in season may try to escape and wander further than normal.
• A cat that has just moved home and is let outside too early may struggle to find their way back: see when to let a new cat outside.

Usually not far either. In a study of 1,210 missing cats, mostly in the US, Australia and Canada, the cats that were found alive were a median of 50 metres from where they went missing, and three in four were within 500 metres. Indoor-only cats that got out were found a median of 39 metres away, and cats used to going outside a median of 300 metres away (Huang and others, 2018).

Where they were found matters too: 11% were inside someone else's house, 20% were in a garden, 19% were waiting outside their own home and 16% were hiding under bushes or plants. That's why a search of your own street, and your neighbours' sheds and garages, comes first. Our lost cat checklist has the full plan.

• Search your home first. Cats Protection suggests cupboards, sheds, behind curtains, under duvets and even inside tumble dryers and washing machines.
• Search slowly with a torch, even in daylight. Battersea suggests shaking a packet of treats, calling your cat's name, then waiting quietly to listen.
• Ask neighbours to check their homes, sheds, outbuildings and vehicles, because cats easily get shut in.
• Go out again early in the morning and late in the evening, when it's quieter.
• If you've moved within a couple of miles, Battersea's advice is to search around your old home too.

Put posters up nearby. For next time, keep their microchip details up to date, which is the law for pet cats in England, and if your cat wears a quick-release collar, a QR code cat tag lets a neighbour reach you straight from their phone, without a trip to the vet to scan the chip.