Missing boy -am I missing anything?

[WarmthAndDepth]

My boy cat must have snuck out somehow this evening, and isn't coming when I call . In case anyone is awake, help me get my thoughts straight, in case I am missing something, as am completely frazzled with worry. I don't want to let too much time pass if possible, in case he's nearby.
11 months old neutered male, wears jingly collar, usually comes like a shot when called.
Got called in for the night around 7, and catflap locked until morning. Came in and ate dinner. Usually gets shut in kitchen / conservatory for the night when we go to bed, but this evening I can't find him anywhere in the house, and I have looked everywhere. Have rattled food bag around the block and called his name. As I said, normally he'd be here like a shot. It was 11pm by the time I realised, otherwise I might have knocked on some neighbours' doors as he has a habit if 'visiting' (in fact, one neighbour who stealth feeds my boy got in the habit of keeping another neighbour's cat in over night...)
Have now set catflap on 'enter only' in case he comes in the night, but I can't think what else I can do? His bell is so jingly I would have heard it in the house by now if he was here. Am I missing anything obvious I should be doing? Urgh, I hate this...

It is a horrible feeling. My 1-year-old rescue cat who has only just been neutered/allowed out since I rehomed him in March disappeared Sunday afternoon and again last night. I just couldn’t stay awake to wait for him anymore and couldn’t go searching far as i’m a single mum. He came home first thing this morning and scoffed his breakfast before going out again. My neighbour’s cat who is slightly younger did the same last week.

With mine I am putting it down to joy at finally getting out (he was a housecat with his previous owner) and warmer spring nights. Although he got a shock last night as we had a heavy frost. He’s come in tonight and being extra cuddly.

Hope your boy comes back soon. If not putting his litter tray outside, or the contents of your hoover bag might encourage him. My last cat and this one also respond to outside lights going on and clattering/packets rustling in the kitchen.

Thanks, Singing, I'll go and switch the lights on in the conservatory and put his tray out. He was only neutered 3 weeks ago, so has perhaps still got some spring sap rising in him... His poor sister is lying forlorn in her basket (they usually snuggle up together). Crazy as it seems, I am madly hoping he is in cat-stealing neighbour's house and that she'll let him out in the morning... Thank you for taking the time to respond. I must try to get some sleep, but am just listening out for him, and imagining the horror when DCs realise he's not here in the morning.

Is he chipped?
My cats do this every so often - the first time I thought they'd got lost but they were there when I woke up the next morning

I'm sure he'll be home for breakfast

Yes, he's chipped, Liz, thanks for asking. Gawd, I wish regular vet's chips came with a tracker... Right, must try to get some sleep.

Try not to worry. My cat does this sometimes- once he didn’t come home for 2 days! And other times it seems like he hasn’t even gone outside to pee for a week. I’m sure he’s just curled up somewhere

It’s hedgehog feeding season and many people leave cat meat out for them. It’s possible your kitty has caught and scent and gone off to feed. Hopefully will be home tomorrow with a full belly

I hope so too. He's just sooo sociable and actively seeks out human company, and is such an uncommonly pretty cat that I am always thinking someone is going to take a shine to him. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Have you posted on Facebook groups so people can look out for him and check sheds and outbuildings?

Are you absolutely sure he's not found a pile of clothes or bedding or a box to curl up in?

Or gone into a cupboard/under stairs, etc that's been closed? No-one went in the attic? In a garden shed?

I assume you must have opened your door after getting him in for him to be able to sneak out again?

I would assume he's in...a bedroom under a bed?

If he has a litter tray, put it outside your door. Cats can smell it from quite a distance.

One of our previous cats got out and was gone for a couple of weeks. She came back. By that time we had adopted another cat as our second cat was lonely (and when he's lonely, he turns into a horrendous attention whore). So she went to live with my parents who were looking for a companion for their cat. Incidentally their cat (the one they already had) got out and was gone for a couple of weeks, too, but she came back also.

@agnurse I don’t get the meaning behind this story, other than you replaced after a couple of weeks. How if this helping op? Other than it came back and you gave it away?

My point is that cats usually do come back. They don't usually wander that far.

Good morning, all. He's back! DP has just chatted through the hedge to the neighbour who had just put him out in her garden, saying he'd 'turned up absolutely starving and cold as it was getting dark' (so around 8pm!) and she'd decided to 'take him in' for the night. Oh dear. No idea how he got out, possible window of opportunity in the bathroom. We've already spoken to her about not feeding him as the vet has said he's getting fat, but she has an open door policy to cats and feeds all the cats in the street. So massively grateful that he's home safely, and really quite cross at neighbour. At 8pm she needn't have worried, especially as he'd just been home to have his (vet approved!) dinner. Grr!
Thank you everyone for chipping in and keeping my spirits up last night, so kind. Now I've got a banging tired head ache to contend with. Must get me some fluffy snuggles to soothe it...

So pleased he is home. First thing I did this morning (after feeding my cat and dog) was check your thread.

Annoying about neighbour. Perhaps knocking on her door every time he vanishes, even if it is really late, would deter her. We had ours do this with our cats when I was teenager, although she did have dementia which partially explained her behaviour. She was actually our landlady and we lived in an old house that had been divided into two by blocking a couple of doors so we could hear them meowing but she would deny having them.

Neighbour needs a note to close her open-door policy because it takes dcats away from their owners.

So glad he's back, fancy keeping him in all that time and not bothering to let you even know! FFS!

Seriously wonder at her view on this if this was her dcat

Tell her to get her own, rehome one!

Thank you, Singing and Smother, yep, I think it's time for another word. Neighbour is the owner if DCat's litter brother, and serious derailer / catnapper of DCat's mother from another neighbour . She's all "I don't see what they all like so much about my house, they all seem to love it here!" Erm... an endless supply food? Ho hum.

Glad he's back !

It sounds like you've got a nutty neighbour like mine - grrrr

One of my cats needs special food as he keeps getting urinary problems - the other we now call PIglet as she's huge.
I'm convinced that my neighbour is putting food out (I know she used to put cat food and milk out before -- I've asked her before not to, and mentioned that many cats are on special diets plus they can't tolerate milk) but she's clearly nuts so doesn't listen....