Female Kitten Wandering

We've always let our cats go outside whenever they wanted. None of our girls have ever wandered like our latest kitten. She's a year old and wanders for hours and far from home. We don't want to restrict her to being an indoor cat but this cat is just going too far. We lost her a couple weeks back for a couple days. I thing she would have come home but she was taken inside by a good samaritan and not let back out. Yesterday she went out at 7 am and didn't return till 1:30 am. We searched high and low but no sign of her till this morning. How do you keep your outdoor cats from taking off for hours on end??

Is she spayed? If not thats prob the biggest reason. Me personally I dont alow my cats outside just to many things that can happen. So not sure on what to tell you to keep them from wandering.

Hello and welcome.

I agree with april31...on all counts. Is she spayed?

I sure hope she IS spayed! IMO you shouldn't allow them outside unsupervised! There are far too many dangers now. Cars, traps, poison, other animals that can kill or chase her far from home, adults/kids that think its fun to catch and torture animals.

If you still believe they have to be outside sometimes, then fence your yard, let them out in an enclosure, or harness/leash train them. One day your cute little female will wind up with a new home or dead!

We live on 15 acres in a very rural area. Three of my cats are allowed SUPERVISED time outdoors (maybe a couple hours a week), they don't do anything except follow me around or lay on the steps in the sun. The other cats I know would run off if I let them out, so they can only go outside if on a harness and leash, and even that is rare for them... I don't want to take that chance of something happening.

Yes, she is spayed, all shots. We are very responsible owners we just believe that cats should be allowed outside to roam. It's just this cat. She goes too far. I'd like to keep her closer to home. All the cats we've ever had have stayed with ours and the neighbors yard. At least within calling distance. Not this one...

If you insist on letting her out, then there is basically nothing you can do to keep her from roaming short of building an outdoor enclosure.