Homebody cat disappearing for days at a time

[turquoiseth]

Our previous homebody cat has started disappearing for days at a time over the past three weeks. He comes home gobbles up some food and seems much, much grumpier and less affectionate than usual. Prior to this spell he was never out at night but now only appears at around 7am for an hour or so, then is gone again. Is someone feeding him? He seems very agitated and has had accidents at home.

Mine did that. He was fighting with foxes and cats (he is neutered) and kept visiting a building site near us and getting stuck there. He'd come back scruffy and dusty as hell, jumpy and cold. The next day he is much better. He did that for a couple of weeks and stopped. He was 5.

When i was grooming him i felt scabs and i have been seeinhg cats and foxes coming right to our french doors.
The cat was obsessively and routinely checking all the doors and windows for many weeks after.

There are many things it could be. Maybe a new cat in the neighbourhood or something/ somebody in the home, new neighbours with a dog. He could have a new home but not sure he'd come back for food if he did. Is he microchipped? Might be worth doing if the cat isn't. You can get a tracker for cats that attaches to a collar and then you could see where it goes. You could also try putting a paper collar on the cat and ask any finders to ring you.