Cat came home after a year

[Theyearofthecats]

In 2005 I had two cats.A female and her son.
My neutered Tom went missing.We put posters up looked asked neighbours etc.No luck.Heartbroken.
He turned up two nights ago.I cried with happiness can't believe it.
I am so happy as is rest of family.He looks in good health but was hungry.Wouldnt come inside house.
I still have his mum and another female 4 years old.
Mums ok with him but my younger cat chased him over the wall.
Do you thing they will accept each other eventually?
Where do you think he has been?

Just wanted to add he was last seen a year ago in our area but not living with us.A local woman feeds around twenty cats in her garden maybe he was going there?

That's amazing! Yes I'm sure they will accept each other eventually. How far away is the cat feeding woman? Didn't you ask her to look out for him?

I personally would bring him inside and keep him in for about three weeks to make sure he doesn't go off again.

wow. That's lovely. Can't cats find their way back if you left them miles away from their house?

The woman who feeds the cat lives 100 yards away.She is a friend of mil but couldn't tell if he was ours as there are a lot of cats who look similar to him.
I still feel fuzzy and tearful when I think of him coming home.

He panicked when I tried to carry him in the house and struggled free and ran off which makes me think he has been living outside for a while.I suppose it will take time for him to trust us again.I will slowly encourage him in .

How lovely and what a shock after a whole year. Hope he settles back very quickly.

Update!
Mil told me that the lady who had been feeding local cats had gone abroad for a few months.Leaving the cats she feeds without food.They began begging from neighbours.A few houses left food and water out for them.I rang Cats protection for advice.Her immediate neighbours rang the council.So that is why my lovely tom came home.He wouldn't come inside but we would feed ,brush and stroke him in the garden and try and tempt him inside.There is a shed outside for the cats to shelter in.
Now she has returned home after 3 months he has gone again.

I'm so sorry OP. The woman sounds awful and I hope your boy comes back soon

I have a cat who has done the same. Just prefers the outdoors life and only comes back when desperate for food.i kind of resent the feeders but heigh ho.

It’s so wrong that people feed cats that don’t belong to them. They know exactly what they’re doing!

I doubt that she pays for vetinary care or flea and work treatment for any of them.She just likes to enjoy feeding them with none of the responsibility of cat ownership.I am going to try and tempt him back home.She has two set times a day when she feeds them and the cats in the street casually stroll up there.I will go up then.I have some hope that he knows where his original home is and will come back
especially if he gets ill.

I reverted to old user name to post update then changed it back!

She needs to get her own cats! She’s essentially lured yours away, and god knows how many other cats. You must be so upset!

It's not right if she makes them dependent on her then buggers off for a few months without a second thought leaving them stranded.

Go cat snatch OP!