In the stillness of the night, the darkness that engulfs everything always hides some unseen secrets, and this is also true for cats. Cats are nocturnal animals, and naturally, nighttime is when they best demonstrate their abilities. However, cats' nighttime activities may not be as normal as humans perceive. Some studies have discovered that cats hold parties at night.
The person who initially discovered this feline behavior is unknown; we speculate they were likely quietly silenced by the other cats. However, a thorough search of historical records reveals very few accounts of cats gathering at night. Yet, it's quite obvious that cats congregate at night; owners often find them huddled together in small groups while half-asleep, only to disperse again in twos and threes after a while. This arouses curiosity: what are they doing? Why are they gathering together? 
Based on this, the editor has also made their own guesses. The reasons can be summarized as follows:
1. Unfamiliar cats meet and show friendliness.
For a newcomer cat, the first thing to do is naturally to meet the local alpha cat. To avoid unnecessary arguments and fights, they'll have a pre-arranged introduction, like, "Hello, I am..."
This is because such nighttime gatherings only occur in densely populated areas with high cat density; they are less common in areas with low cat density.
There are various interpretations of the purpose of cat gatherings, but many experts believe that cats gathering together in the same area are likely checking whether any outsiders have intruded into their territory.
II. Foraging
Cats get hungry at night too, and naturally they'll look for food. But it's so dark at night, so scary! Going out alone to forage might lead to encountering something unclean! So the cats decided to go out in a large group to hunt for food. With so many people, they naturally had to hold a meeting before foraging: Blackie went to the east, Whitey went to the south, Little Ming went to the kitchen… All the food they found was handed over for distribution!
Of course, some people choose to feed the cats at night, especially stray cats. Cat lovers often kindly give food to stray cats, which is why many stray cats gather there. After eating, the stray cats usually don't return immediately; they linger around the feeding area for several hours.
I wonder if you agree with these two reasons. If any cat owners disagree, then you might as well stay up tonight and take a good look at what your cat is doing. Basically, cats are nocturnal animals, so they often gather at night. But they don't seem to have a fixed time for gathering; they just gather together for no apparent reason and then disperse for no apparent reason as well.
Next, it's time for some science! While cats are night owls, their nighttime activity can still disturb their owners' rest, right? And a large group of cats can make a mess of the house. Stray cats are also difficult to manage, so owners need to discipline their pet cats. If left unchecked at night, cats may get injured or soiled while hunting mice, mating, or fighting. Being nocturnal is bad for a cat's health and also affects indoor hygiene. Such cats are often very wild and difficult to manage. If they bring home infectious diseases, it could also endanger the owner's health. Therefore, pet cats should not be allowed to roam freely at night.
An enclosed porch or a window sill extending outwards is a great place for cats to safely interact with nature. If your yard has a fence, another good option is to install netting on the fence to confine the cat within your yard. During the day, you can train your cat to walk on a leash, but be sure to use the lightest recyclable leash possible and attach it to a harness, not a collar. Let your cat get used to wearing a harness indoors, and then you can take it outside to explore.
Furthermore, correcting a cat's nocturnal behavior must begin with kittenhood. When starting training, use a cage to train the cat, allowing it to roam freely indoors during the day, but never outdoors. Bring it back to the cage at night. Over time, it will develop a habit of not going out at night even if the cage is removed.
