If you live on the fifth floor of an apartment, can an outdoor cat figure out how to get back home?

Question

I have a cat that is outdoor/indoor and I am moving to an apartment where I am on the 5th floor. You can get to my apartment by outdoor stairs, but I am wondering if this is too confusing/too much work for a cat. Anybody have any experience with this? Does it work? If so, how do I break her in to having to go up several stairs to get to me?

Answer 1

Yes, when cats get used to the setup and layout of the building, they know how to come back but there are more important things to worry about by leaving your cat outside. Someone might really like your cat and kidnap it or adopt your cat without knowing who owns it. Or you might have some cruel person collect your cat outside and sell it to companies that do animal experiments. There are people like that. So I would recommend if you make your cat an outdoor cat to take the cat to the vet, so they can have a microchip implanted in them. They do this in california so they can track the animals in case they get lost .

Answer 2

Cats do *not* like moving. You need to keep them in for at least several weeks after you move, or they are likely to return to their old homes. Once your cat has adjusted to the move, and understands that this is now where she lives, she should be able to handle outside stairs. Just let her out, and she'll find her own way.

However, ilovedolphins is entirely right. There are very good reasons for keeping a cat indoors, or taking them out on a harness and leash only. If you look at the statistics, outdoor cats live a much shorter time than indoor cats on average.

Answer 3

I've had cats for years and I've moved with a number of them. I'm probably going to tell you more than you want to know, but I would worry if I felt I left you ill informed.

First off, cats aren't going to get themselves lost. They have excellent directional instincts. They wander a little a time, and know how to get back to where they started. HOWEVER, kitties totally freak out during moves and have to be handled specially. Don't let her ouside the day of the move....all the strange activity and loud noise will surely scare her and she may run into hiding somewhere. We put ours in a shut bathroom with their food/water/litter box while the move was going on and only let them out after the movers had gone. Then we put them into their cat carriers and moved them last. Since your kitty has been used to the outside at your old house, she has directional instincts back to your old house. Make SURE you DON'T let her oustside of your new place AT ALL for at least 3 weeks. She has to get very used to the new place or she may try to run back to your old place. It takes cats longer than it does for us, but once she gets used to the new place as "home", she won't have any problems roaming and getting back. When you finally start letting her outside again, let her out without her having been fed. She won't have time to get so far before she gets hungry and comes home.

I really hate that you have to let her out at all though. It's a really dangerous world out there for littlie kitties, especially in the city and apartment complexes. There are too many cars diriving through, and too many dogs roaming around. If you can, I would recommend you make her an indoor kitty.

Answer 4

I would make her an indoor cat at that point for her protection.

Answer 5

Leave her inside for a week or so until she gets used to the new surroundings and new smells. She'll find her way back to you. They are ingenious creatures.

Answer 6

Stranger things have happened!

Answer 7

I wouldn't risk it....better keep her inside.

Answer 8

yes, they can find their way home