Question: Why is it that cats go out all the time? how do they know which way to go home? are they smarter than dogs?

Kevin Mahon answered on 12 Jun 2012:

Dogs have bigger brains than cats so you could argue they are smarter!

Cats go out all the time (if they are allowed that is!) as it is part of their natural behaviour. ‘Domestic’ cats are really incredibly similar from their wild counterparts. This may be because of the relatively recent time in wich they have been domesticated (3000 years approx) or because their relationship with humans has been quite indirect for most of this time (Cats originally were tolerated as they got rid of vermin, not because of the company they provided). Wild cats go wandering in order to hunt, get mates, establish territories etc.

A neutered female domestic cat will typically have a ‘territory’ of 200 m2. For unneutered males, this can be up to ten times as much! Cats find their way home by using visual cues (landmarks) in order to figure out what direction they need to go. They can also use scent and auditory cues to find their whereabouts. Generally, the older/more experienced the cat is, the more confident it will be in finding its way back or even using shortcuts!

Obviously this doesn’t always work as I’m sure you;ve heard of cats getting lost at one point or another!