diff --git a/xscen/catutils.py b/xscen/catutils.py
index 9ec9c36b..d96cd7ce 100644
--- a/xscen/catutils.py
+++ b/xscen/catutils.py
@@ -90,7 +90,10 @@ def _parse_level(text: str) -> str:
     return text
 
 
-@register_parse_type("datebounds", regex=r"(([\d]+(\-[\d]+)?)|fx)", group_count=3)
+# Minimum 4 digits for a date (a single year). Maximum is, in theory, YYYYMMDDHHMMSS so 14.
+@register_parse_type(
+    "datebounds", regex=r"(([\d]{4,15}(\-[\d]{4,15})?)|fx)", group_count=3
+)
 def _parse_datebounds(text: str) -> tuple[str, str]:
     """Parse helper to translate date bounds, used in the special DATES field."""
     if "-" in text:
diff --git a/xscen/utils.py b/xscen/utils.py
index 71d05fc0..cf1e2571 100644
--- a/xscen/utils.py
+++ b/xscen/utils.py
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ def _parse_date(date, fmts):
         except (KeyError, ValueError):
             try:
                 date = pd.Timestamp(date)
-            except pd._libs.tslibs.parsing.DateParseError:
+            except (pd._libs.tslibs.parsing.DateParseError, ValueError):
                 date = pd.NaT
     elif isinstance(date, cftime.datetime):
         for n in range(3):