Not sure what to do about this one. I have 2 cats, a brother and a sister, since they were kittens. They're approx. 4 years old.
Unfortunately my boy cat left one afternoon about a week after my DD was born and never came back. We spent many an evening looking for him and calling his name. He was always bullied by other local cats and was generally a bit of a soft touch (he often slept inside the bed with us). A few months passed and we saw him from a distance a few times but he never allowed us to come close.
We later discovered he was being fed by a neighbour a few doors up. This neighbour helped capture him and back home he came (hooray!). We kept all the doors/windows shut for approx. 3/4 months over the winter and after allowing him to go outside again, he behaved as he did before he ever disappeared.
Unfortunately one day, he failed to return and has gone back to aforementioned neighbour who is again feeding him. Whole thing is repeated once more.
Now over a year has passed since he first left.
The neighbour has all of a sudden decided he wants to trap him and bring him back to ours again as he is causing problems with his cats and won't let them come and go freely into his house. He says he will do it this weekend.
Obviously as much as I am heartbroken that I have lost my beloved boy, I physically can't force him to stay here, and he will manage to escape sooner or later. It's summer now and I will have to have windows and doors open. I'm frustrated that this man began to feed him in the first place, as I feel that may have discouraged my cat from returning home.
Anyway, what are my options? I've tried to find an alternative home for him among my friends and family but they aren't able to take him.