is it possible for a cat to disappear from the family home for months or years then one day just come back?

[adam7485]

hello. we had a 16 year old black cat. about 5 years ago he just disappeared. we were guessing he just went away to die as i know that is common and we never saw him again. so posting really for traffic. have you ever had a cat that vanished one day, you thought you wouldn't see them again then they appeared totally out of the blue?

10 yrs missing & reunited 2 days ago.

My friend in USA had a cat that disappeared shortly before Trump was elected. She got a call from a rescue a few months before the 2020 election saying he'd been found (they'd scanned his chip). We thought it was probably a good omen for how things would turn out! He was fat and very pleased with himself and had obviously found a doting new owner in the meantime.

this is interesting. people tend to credit dogs with high intelegence but when you think about it its cats. they seem to have amazing survival skills. someone mentioned up thread about the horrendous cold snap we had couple of years ago with beast from the east and storm emma which brought exceptionally cold weather and heavy snowfall so i think for a cat to be out in the wild and to have survived that does them some credit.

These stories have given me hope, my boy has been missing since April. Loves to wander and explore but just didn't come home one day and no sign of him since. I do wonder if he got in a van.

We had a lovely sixteen year old boy who went out barbecue surfing around the neighbourhood. I was convinced I'd never see him again, but he decided he wanted to come home and shouted at a woman until she fed him and brought him back.

My (rural) friend had a cat who was an accomplished huntress and she used to bugger off for several months over the summer. She was really worried the first year it happened, thinking she'd been run over or had moved in with someone else.

But then she'd spot her trekking across fields from time to time.

And she always came back for home comforts in the autumn.

Our cat was gone for weeks. Did the searching, walking around banging a food tin while calling his name, looking like a desperate, sad and lonely woman. Was convinced he was dead somewhere as he usually couldn't even be arsed to even go to the end of the garden. No one had seen him or found him so we all set about grieving, making a little shrine etc.
One day I was in the garden and the bugger hopped over the back gate, sauntered straight past me and went through the cat flap as though nothing had happened. Didn't even make eye contact.
He absolutely stunk of roast meat and woodsmoke and had a really fat tummy, so am assuming he'd found a nice house with a fire and lots of food!
Hasn't done it since.

Another good news story after being missing for 12 years! So don't give up hope if you've lost your cat...

www.itv.com/news/wales/2021-09-17/the-miracle-reunion-between-a-cat-and-his-owner-after-12-years