My cat keeps going back to my parents house!

Question
I moved into a new flat about 500 yards away from my parents' house 3 weeks ago. I have 3 cats and they all seemed to adjust quite well, particularly Missy.

At first, I kept them all in and took them into the garden myself so they could wander around and go to the toilet. After about a week, we put in a cat flap and everything seemed to be going well, Missy slept on the bed and seemed to love her new home.

About a week ago I noticed Missy had been gone a while, which is unlike her as she normally would come back if I put food down and called them. The next day, my mum called to say she'd turned up at their house. Missy quite dislikes my brothers, sister and parents and always hisses at them if they go near her, which she did when my mum tried to stroke her, so everyone was really confused as to why she'd gone over in the first place (maybe the territory?).

Also, my mum just got a new kitten (Missy's grandson, as it happens) but when she met him she hated him! and she also has another cat who Missy did live with when we were living here before we moved but didn't particularly seem to like that much? I only moved back to my parents in the summer after finishing University, where I had lived with the three cats and they were fine there, no running away, although it was about 120 miles from my parents house!

I took her back to the flat the first time and made a fuss over her and she slept on the bed, smurgling her blanket as she loves to do and getting cuddles, so I thought she was happy, so a couple of days later, I let her go out with the other 2 and she did it again, much quicker this time! I'm so worried, I haven't collected her again because I don't want her travelling along roads!!

I know I could get a litter tray and keep her in, but it would be so difficult with the other two, and it would be cruel to keep them in, they love going outside in the garden and playing! Originally, when we moved in, I was really pleased because our building is in a cul-de-sac so there's no main road near them but if Missy's wandering all the way to my parents' house, it's along main roads, and normally she hates the sound of cars!

I'm so stuck, my mum keeps telling me to put butter on her paws but I don't know if she'd stay, seen as she knows exactly where she wants to go.

Please could you give me some advice on how to keep her with me!
I read another comment on here about rehoming the cat if it keeps running away, but I am DEFINITELY not prepared to even let my mum keep her, I love her to bits, she's my baby!

Answer
Talia,

I've never heard of re-homing a cat because it runs away! THAT I don't agree with.

It's true that your cat is going where she wants to be and where she is happy. Though it doesn't sound reasonable to you, it makes sense to her. Cats are creatures of habit and association, and everything at your mom's house is comfortable and familiar to her (smells, sounds, etc.) whereas they aren't at the new place.

The main thing to do, which you mention would be difficult, is to keep her inside for about a month to get used to the new place and give her time to place her scent everywhere to make it 'hers'. As of now, it is not 'her home' and she wants to go back to where she still considers 'home'.

Leash train her and put her outside on a leash often so she can put her scent and pheromones on the bushes, etc. outside. Here is a site that gives you good instructions on how to train her:
(copy and paste, or type, the whole link into your address bar)

http://www.hdw-inc.com/leashtraining.htm

Also collar train her (break-away type only) and tape your address and phone number on it in case she gets away again and someone thinks she is a stray and keeps her.

After the adjustment period you can let her out for short periods of time on her own and she how she reacts....but watch her carefully. If she doesn't seem to want to run away again then you should be OK. And let her out before you feed her. A hungry cat has a tendancy to stay close to home.

I hope this helps and gives you some ideas.

Carol