What is he doing all night?

Clyde is a 3 yr old, neutered, indoor only cat. He has never been outside until last week.
Last week while letting the dog out to go potty, he bolted. I couldn't believe it because he has always acted scared of the outside. He didn't come back until 5 in the a.m. I was very worried as I don't think he would even defend himself if he ran into trouble.
He did the same thing last night and didn't come home until 5:30 this morning. I sent my son after him but he ran away. What in the world could he be doing all night? He doesn't try and escape during the day when the birds are in the yard and the sun is shining. He has never been outside and I can't imagine he is very street smart

Hmmmm - he might have a pretty girlfriend even if he's neutered. I would lock him up when you let the dog out. One morning he won't be back!

That is my fear!! You wouldn't think a 16 lb cat could sneak up on you but he does. I will have to be more careful.

Clyde thinks he is a momma most of the time, I hope he doesn't have a boyfriend

Cats are more active at night. Birds and sunshine may not be as interesting as what runs around in the dark.

The crowd that hangs around here at night isn't the kind you want your baby making friends with. I'm going to put a bell on him!

Is he putting our new kitten at risk by going outside? Ozzy get his first set of kitten shots today.

Wow honestly I am shocked he came back at all. Since he's never been outside before. I think you're pretty lucky. I would definately try hard not to let him out.. that is my biggest nightmare, my cats getting outside.

I take my cats out in the backyard on nice days and let them play. Two of them believe my supervision is utterly unnecessary and roll their eyes (figuratively, of course) like teenagers whose mom won't leave them at the mall. The other one won't walk behind the grill if it means I'm going to be out of site. One day he went out of the front door with me (uninvited). My husband and I were both outside and we weren't particularly upset as he never goes far. That day was different. He trotted down the front walk, turned left at the street and headed out like he had an appointment. I FREAKED! Never has there been a cat less capable of caring for himself! Needless to say I caught him and put him back inside. I've learned never to underestimate them when it comes to open doors. I'm sure you were beside yourself when your cat was out. I'm so glad he came back.

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If he's going outside, he can bring in fleas - which in turn could give him and the kitten tapeworms. Also he would be exposed to FELV or FIP from outside cats in the neighborhood.

Originally Posted by AMYSCRAZY

Is he putting our new kitten at risk by going outside? Ozzy get his first set of kitten shots today.

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As long as Clyde is up to date with the injections then there is no problem. You should also make sure they have flea & tick treatment, flea eggs can be brought into a house by people on their shoes, or even on themselves if they have pets that have not been treated

They can also get run over, accidentally locked inside somewhere, be chased by dogs (and children... to the extent they run into traffic to get away), and all sorts of other things I'm sure you don't want. You must figure out some way to keep it from happening again. He'll probably give you a hard time for a while, but will forget about it eventually.

Cats are nocturnal. Cat burgulars creep around in the dark, quietly and efficiently. He is exploring and inspecting and probably marking his territory.

Well, we had a family meeting and we agreed to all work together to keep Clyde from escaping again. He hates the bell collar but at least I can hear him coming . He is completely wiped out today. I guess that happens when you are out all night.
He is fully vaccinated and receives Frontline monthly so...I hope that will be enough. The kitten got his first set of shots and worming today so I am crossing my fingers.