My unneutered male cat isn't coming home. Is he sick or lost?

If Billy is not neutered yet, he is now old enough to be interested in mating females. This also makes him more prone to fighting with other male cats and may cause him to roam more. This roaming and fighting can lead to injuries from cars or other animals, FIV infections (which suppressed the immune system) and abscesses. Neutering him can help to decrease these behaviors which may end up saving his life. I recommend you speak with your veterinarian about the procedure. Most cats do very well and you should not expect to see any change in personality. I hope you find him quickly! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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!

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 :)

If he is not neutered then I would be suspicious that there is an in heat female somewhere that he is spending time and energy trying to get to. However, there are certainly other possibilities. I would encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian to make sure there isn’t something medically concerning going on, and then potentially consider having him neutered. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

I hope he's ok! I'd say chances are still good at this point - I recommend keeping food out for him, and set his litterbox outside so he can recognize his familiar scent if he's become a bit disoriented. I hope he finds his way home!

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