Answer: Some cats from a very close attachment to their territory, so much so that when the owner moves to a new house the cat may leave this new home and return to its old territory. This is particularly likely to occur tow home are less then a mile apart, but with tom cats who roam over a much wider area, even up to ten miles away. On the other hand, many owners move house a number of times and never experience this problem. This suggests that in these cases there is much stronger bond between the cat and the owner, or that the cat is much less familiar with the surrounding area.(Indeed, some cats normally confined to a flat may even have difficulty in finding their way back to the correct floor of the apartment block.)
Among the methods suggested to prevent cats wandering back to their old territory is the dubious remedy of putting batter paws. The intention is for the cat to be so occupied with licking off the butter that by the time is has finished the urge to return to its former abode has disappeared. But the most successful is simply to confine the cat to his new home for a week (using a litter tray) so that his attachment to it grows and displaces his longing for his previous domain. Then, when the time to comes to let the cat out for the first occasion, do it just before feeding, or ideally when he is asking for food, to ensure his rapid return. On subsequent days, the cat can be let out progressively earlier so that there is a longer interval between being let out and being fed.
When a cat first introduced into an familiar room it will insist on exploring the room thoroughly, walking all around perimeter and sniffing as it goes. Even when there is another cat in the room, it is the that has to be investigated first. A cat usually spends most of its time in what is called its ‘resting area’. This may be the whole house, part of the house, just its bed or even an area outdoors such as a shed or outhouse. Then it also has a ‘territory’ immediately surrounding the resting area which it defends against the other cats and the boundaries of which it makes with scratches and, particularly in the case of the tom cats, with urine. In addition, there is what is sometimes referred to as a ‘home range’ which is large area containing frequently visited area for hunting, sunbathing and keeping watch. Within this area the animal travels along a network of paths.
The home range of domestic female cat in rural area is about one-third of a square mile (1/2 I km square) though inevitably it is smaller in urban and suburban districts. The home range of male cats is several times larger, especially during the mating seasons. The home range may overlap with the ranges of neighboring cats and cats watch carefully to ensure they do not meat other on their travels. If another cat is observed he will wait until the other has moved away sufficiently before he recommences his journey.
