My mother had a cat years ago that went missing for a week. She asked our neighbours if they could check their sheds and garages etc, just in case he'd accidentally got locked in somewhere - he'd been trapped in our next-door neighbours cellar. So it may be worth asking your neighbours to check round.

One of our neighbours cats went missing a few years ago, and they put leaflets about it in everyone's letterboxes. We've often seen the cat passing through our garden since, so somebody must've found her. Someone may have taken your cat in not thinking he was owned, so putting round 'missing' leaflets or posters may alert them to you being the rightful owner.

Sounds like your cats gone on holiday. He'll hopefully be back. Has he had the snip, if not, maybe he's found himself a female cat friend.

It is if they are used to going out. Forcing an outdoor cat in all the time will not be good for the cat.

This is one of the reasons why I will be friendly to neighbours' cats, but I will never feed someone else's cat, and I will never let it inside my house. I don't want any cat deciding that it lives with me.

To be fair to the neighbours they weren't feeding my friend's cat at first. The cat used to eat at home but spent all its time including bedtime next door. It was only after repeated attempts to get it to live at home that both my friend and the neighbour gave up, agreed that the cat had made up its mind to move and moved its feeding bowls next door.

I think its time to get another pussy. I really want a Persian or Ragdoll but they are expensive and don't want to spend all that money for the same thing to happen again.

Your cat has only been missing 5 days and you are thinking of a replacement already??

No he is gone a month on Monday past.

Oh I see, I was going on the date you started the thread, my apologies

Even so, if my cat had been missing for a month I think the last thing on my mind would be getting a replacement for him.

But...everyone's different I guess.

They need a lot of attention because of the long fur. I'm sure the local rescues have many lovely cats looking for new homes. Try Cats Protection or one of the many smaller charities on CatChat

Knowing the contrary nature of cats, he'll saunter back in once you've got another - remember to mention the possibility to the rescue so they can hook you up with a cat who likes other cats.

Indeed it will go down the cat grapevine, and he'll appear as if nothing is amiss

So guess who came strolling up the garden today and parked himself on my windowsill looking fed? Yep pussy returned. After what 6-7 weeks. I have to wonder what happened or where did he go? I fed him and off he went again.

Great news! Wonder where he's been? I've never experienced this but we did have acat that would disappear for 2 or 3 days we we came back from holiday. Oh, and another time when he had gorged himself on the Xmas Turkey that my mum had left on the side, shutting the door to keep him out, not realising he was in there all the time. He didn't actually need feeding for a couple of days that time

OP - you should've put a collar on with an id tag or one of those little barrels you can put a message in eg "Do not feed this cat!"
Mind you I have read similar tales where the cat came back for one final farewell so you may never get the chance again. At least he's getting fed whereever he is - just hope his benefactor sees fit to stump up for his medical bills.

He kept taking the collar off, we tried that a couple ot times. He's now inside sleeping after getting fed again. He's a lot skinner, he has to have got locked in somewhere he shouldn't of been

Fantastic news...was he scared/jumpy...or laid back/relaxed? if the latter, he may have been adopted for those weeks, at least he knows where to come after being away.

He is very jumpy for some reason and constantly looking around him.

Hmmm....points towards he was in a place he didn't want to be...but, the main thing....HE'S BACK!!!...and hopefully learned a lesson....like my cat