Cat missing on first day out

[Grumblepants]

I need some advice please. I had adopted my brothers cat as his family moved and they couldn't take the cat with them. Cat is 8 years old and I live an hour and a half away from my brother.
We kept cat in the house for 2 weeks and got him chipped. Last night we took his food away as we were advised it's best if the cat is hungry when you first let him out so he is more likely to come home for food. This morning we let him out for the first time and he literally bolted over the garden gate and he's not been home since. It's been 12 hours. We think we have seen him a couple of times on the estate but he's not come when called.
Is this normal? What can we do or is he gone? I've never had a cat before so I don't know what's normal.

I don't know if 2 weeks is long enough indoors when you move. Hopefully he comes back soon

Some cats don't need to stay in for that long when they've moved home, so hopefully he'll back soon. He was obviously keen to get outside and will probably be having a good old scout around his new neighbourhood.

I'm pretty sure he will come back, but if you don't have a cat flap it will be difficult for him to get back in. You will need to leave food outside every day for at least the next three weeks, although I doubt you will need to do it for that long.

They often disappear for a couple of days the first time they go out, but then they come back when they're really hungry.

Hopefully he'll come back when he gets hungry.

Is he neutered? If not, it would be worth getting this done before you let him out again.

He is still not home. He is neutered and we do have a cat flap. We were worried as when he went out he ran really quickly and it was raining so we thought he ay not have been able to get a good scent of the house? But I don't really know how cats work out where they live. Is it normal for them to go off for a while to explore like this? (Sorry if this appears twice, I wrote it once and it disappeared).

Cats can dissappear for a while. He may have taken shelter from the rain.

Hope he turns up u must be so worried I do think if you e seen him on the estate he will wander back x

Possibly hunting if he's hungry, or curled up somewhere warm and dry for a snooze while waiting for the rain to stop?

Did he come
Back x