My male cat roams and hasn't come home. Is he mating? Will he return?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Hopefully Golu will come home soon!. Being intact adds to the desire to wander off, fight and breed. If you would like to keep Golu closer to home and prevent the wandering I would have him neutered when he comes back home. I hope this helps and I hope Golu heads home soon!

I'm not sure how old Carolus is, but unfortunately it's very common to see this kind of behavior change in unneutered males once they reach social maturity - he is probably out looking for females to mate with, or fighting with other male cats, as both of these are more important to him right now than anything else. I would strongly recommend having him neutered when you are able to - this should curb his tendency to roam and not come home, and will make him a much better pet overall :)

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Gooty isn’t neutered then he likely is mating. Cats that go outdoors are more likely to suffer trauma from cars or fight with other cats and get wounds. Neutering may help the wandering. It probably won’t prevent fighting. He should stay updated on his vaccines and be dewormed regularly. Next time he comes in, keep him inside until you can get him to the Vet to have his injury evaluated. I hope this helps and I wish Gooty the best!

I see that Bagpuss isn't neutered. He's likely roaming for females to mate with, which is why he's disappearing for days at a time. It could also be that there is another home feeding him as well, and he's been staying there. To cut down on roaming behavior, I would have him neutered. He's a domesticated cat used to being handled, so he won't become feral by being around feral cats, but because he isn't neutered, he could get into fights with them over females and territory. After you have him neutered, you can keep him indoors all the time, and set up a litter box for him inside. That will keep him safe from the feral cats and home all the time. It's perfectly find to make Bagpuss an indoor only cat. Many people do it, and cats are perfectly happy with that arrangement. I have four indoor only cats, and they are happy :-)

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is possible that someone else is providing him with food as well and that is the reason he is not returning for all of his meals with you. He also may be sick, dealing with an infection or systemic disease. If you can catch him and bring him to the veterinarian, that would be ideal so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, yes this would be explained by the fact that Goldu has not been neutered. He probably reached sexual maturity when he was around 5 1/2 - 6 months old and since then he is busy patrolling his territory, hunting and finding female cats. Things should improve by getting him neutered. This will obviously decrease his desire to roam and reduce the chances he gets hurt, involved in cat fights or road traffic accidents. Hope this helps !

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Golu. He probably roams because he is not neutered or altered. Male cats will roam extensively if they are not neutered. The testosterone drives them to seek out mates and reproduce. Neutering him would make him a lot less likely to roam. Pets have been lost for extended periods of time, even longer than this. It's possible that he could return home. It's also possible that he has been taken in by another family who is feeding him now. I hope he returns. Good luck