The reports of sightings were not necessarily valid, they may have seen a similar cat or simply wanted to talk. People do strange things.

I'm hoping that if you get him back that he becomes safer by being an inside only cat.

I hope he comes home. That's why my cats never leave the house. I'd be worrying all the time.

Ask people to call you whenever they see him even if it is 2 o'clock in the morning.

I'd put something like a piece of clothing with your scent along with food and water by your doors.

Is he microchipped?

Oh, he will be an inside cat. We have been slack with him as he kept escaping and lounging on a chair and then coming right back in. It's been 12 years now. Our other cat is strictly indoors. Lucille, that was a thought I had but she was pretty specific about some characteristics he has. Here's hoping. Thanks.

He is chipped and I will put another notice up to call any time. We have his cat litter outside too.

he is 12 years old? well, that should tell you-hes an old man just doing some touring around in his old age-I had an ölder"cat one time that only came home about every 3 weeks......

Be sure to be specific - 3 in the morning is OKAY!

I would deliver notices to the local houses not just post signs.

Sometimes they are too freaked out to come to you and you have to trap them. One of our cats got scared by a visiting dog that attacked him and he ran to a brush pile about 100 feet away and refused to come out. DH had to burrow into it and drag him out. I don't know that he'd have come back on his own, he was a sensitive cat. Good luck getting yours back. Can you borrow a live trap?

An elderly very frail cat of mine got lost. We looked for 2 weeks, not a very populated area, wooded acreage for lots. I was sure that a cayote or bobcat had found him. Finally we got a call from a neighbor on the next block, they had seen him in the woods behind their house. They put out some water and I took off over there & there he was. He had been a 19 lb cat in his prime& was down to 7 lbs, turned out that he was hyperthyroid. This house was the next street and 2 or 3 houses down. He wandered around in those woods with no food or water in 100 degree TX summer. Miracles do happen.

Well, this is CRAZY! I got a call two hours ago from a lady saying she thinks she has my cat. They live at least 5 km from our home and major streets that have to be crossed. I didn't think it was him so I went. It looked so much like him but it was a "her" so I offered to bring her to the nearest vet to get scanned. I did. They confirmed it was a female so I called the person to ask if they want me to bring her back or keep her at the clinic for them to call the owners because they had to go through a couple of chip companies to see who the owner was.

Anyway, after dropping the cat back off, I called my daughter to say we were on our way home and no luck and she said a clinic just called and said our cat was at the address we just went to???? How could I not have known it wasn't mine! We were all positive it was a female? It's him though and he is home. Whew. Thanks for your input everything as it was helpful to my mental health.

Oh I'm so glad. Did he lose any weight? He must be glad to be home. What stories he would have to tell you if he could talk.

Oh good. What a relief.

Our cat always stayed on the patio outside, never wandered outside the patio. But when she got old, just by chance we caught her wandering down an alley about 5 doors from us. We could not believe it because she never went that far from home or down that alley. We think she had some sort of kitty memory failure. From then on we kept her in. Maybe your dear kitty just got lost and did not know where to go.

He gained weight!? That was another reason I didn't think it was him. He was a slim cat so I though he would be skinny and he isn't. He looks good and healthy. I think people were very kind to him in his passing by. Again, whew. So glad there is an end to this. A good one.

My cat used to do that, he would take a 3 day vacation then come home. Sometimes he was bathed and all spruced up. He either has a lady friend or someone took him and he will escape and come home soon.

Cookie- what a funny story! I am glad that you got your cat back.

The vet said the cat you brought in to be scanned was a female but it was really your male cat? How weird! Glad you got your cat back!

Cats have 2 personalities:

They're tame when they're inside & they see you & you put the food in their dish, but when they go through that door, they revert to the wild, & often they won't come when you call, even though they're scared & they need to be at home.

I'm so glad you got him back!

Good ending.

AMAZING!! Sooo happy for a happy ending!!...I worry when my Puddy Kitty goes out but she's 10 and I just pray God will keep a watch over her...I just can't lock her in...she uses the doggie door...she does come when I call her...especially if there is SHRIMP involved (I keep a bag of cooked shrimp in the freezer in the kitchen...put three pieces in a cup and zap it for 40 seconds...put it up on the dining room table that never gets used...she is majorly spoiled)..LOL...

My kitty is 8. She is a happy kitty, but she stays inside. I guess there are trade offs to all choices, but mine is to keep her inside where I know she is much safer, especially since the street right in front of my house has quite a bit of traffic.

I believe God watches everything, but outdoor kitties still get run over and die from other mishaps, I can only conclude that God gives us choices, and we (and our pets) must live (or not) with the consequences of our choices.

He's back. How cool is that?! Happy for you.

As a child, we had an outdoor cat named Little Punk[in] and he disappeared for almost a year. He came home on Halloween, and I always loved that. A Punkin on Halloween. As an adult, all my cats have been indoor. I think it traumatized me too much to worry like I did, to do it again. I do take the cat out on a leash occasionally, but it's pretty rare.

Oh, and a little detail that was left out. We were convinced he wasn't coming back and got another cat while he was gone. I really thought I was over my impulsive ways but the kids were so devastated and we were so convinced because there is more bizarre to this story. Three days after my cat went missing, my good friend lost her cat. She found him two days later mostly eaten by something. Two days after that my neighbour's cat got run over in front of his place. We live on a quiet dead end street. We were convinced that was it for him too. These are the only people I know with cats and all of our cats were gone within the week. Such an awful coincidence. We also have another cat. So three it is. He hasn't met the new guy yet because he is still resting. Good news, he made no effort to sit outside first thing, like he usually does. He will be an indoor cat from now on. It was a very unpleasant experience so indoors it is.

Great story Rob. The technician that scanned "her" (haha) said her cat went missing for 2 1/2 years and was returned. My husband is shaking his head on how none of us knew for sure if it was our cat. He said "Look at his face, how do you not see it?" After going to the humane society for the past three weeks, every three days, and being convinced every tabby was him, I just chalked it up to the same thing - wanting it so bad that I was willing to see what wasn't there. Plus, we were convinced it was a female cat! Yikes, writer's cramp, sorry for the long post.

Our friend's cat got out a couple of years ago in the coldest winter we'd had in years. He was gone for 3 weeks, and we did everything. Hubby and I would walk the neighbourhood calling him, looking under porches etc, since it was so cold. Flyers posted and ads run in Kijiji and on Facebook. Food put out, and a live trap with clothes and food.

A neighbour called our friend and said that his cat was under their porch and they were able to get him and bring him inside. So he was fine, and safe, and extremely stressful for everyone.

As of now, he has no desire to go outside at all!

I hope all of your cats will be kept indoors now, and that the rest of the neighbors have learned the same. It is very dangerous out there even if a quiet street.

Not for anything would I ever let my three cats out for any reason. They are 15 and one is 10.

Ahhhhhhhhh....relief....you found him....he's back home! I'm actually very jealous you have 3! lol My cat is a HUGE source of laughter....cuteness overload.....and I think our lives are enriched by his presence.

If he/she was neutered, how come the confusion?

I had one of mine get out for three days. She was an indoor only cat. When I found her, she was hiding under the side deck (which is very low and has side coverings except under the 3 steps up onto it). I'd been looking everywhere. But that third day I noticed green glowing eyes staring back at me when I peered through the steps. I couldn't coax her out so had to pry off some of the siding on the back part of the deck -- fortunately a bit loose anyway, and finally nabbed a leg and dragged her as carefully as possible out.

It hadn't rained, so I doubt she'd had any water in that time. I'd left some out but none of it had vanished. I think other critters got the kibble I'd put out. I suspect she spent most of her time under that deck. She was definitely skinnier.

For at least two years after, she was not remotely interested in What Lies Behind the Outside Door.

I don't get the not knowing a male from female..how can't the vet not tell the difference. Very very strange.

I brought the cat to the closest clinic to the house I went to, to pick up the cat. It was also a vet technician and the receptionist who looked at him. No vet looked. The technician said that could happen? I could have sworn I saw remnants of a scrotum (an empty one, mind you) at previous times on my cat. My husband says no. Him, being at home, I don't know how I didn't know it was him from the moment I saw him outside the house.

I was so stunned over the situation, I didn't ask they people their position until I called the clinic once I got home to say the cat was chipped to my home. I should have requested a vet to look and be certain when I was there. The lady who was holding Ripple at her home was laughing, stating "I knew it was your cat, I knew it." They were great for being so kind.

My male cats have always had 'remnants' after being neutered. That is pretty scary they didn't get the sex right when trying to locate a pet's owner. It just goes to show how diligent you have to be and not simply take someone's word for things.

Glad he is home and I hope he never tries to go out again!

I'm guessing the vet wasn't involved in checking the cat for a microchip.

Thank goodness he was chipped and you got him back home!

Our old neutered male cat is inside all of the time, but when he gets an urge to roam, he will get past us at the door and stay out as long as he pleases. No amount of calling and checking brings him in until he is good and ready to come in. We just are no longer fast enough to block his dart for the doorway. I worry every time he gets out.