oh thank you. yes! 5 days later. five a.m. he came to the front door screaming to be let. He has not told his story yet though.

@Plant1010J That’s such good news. Big sigh of relief.

it was a big cry of joy. I was finally able to cry in relief, instead of the maddening crazy in my head

@Plant1010J I’ve been fortunate to have closure when my cats have gone missing. Now mine are indoors only.

now I walk him on a leash and he's totally fine with it.

@Plant1010J Good.

thank you

if I could see that he is dead, I would at least have closure. If I find that he is in someone else's home and happy, I would have peace, but I continue to believe that he is in misery choking to death on a branch by his collar.

@Plant1010J I hope not. It does hurt to not know. Hopefully he comes home.

@orange_girl Apparently, they can smell their box from a very long distance! Let us know when he comes back. He might be in a garage somewhere, stuck. Contact a shelter and see if they have a local "Lost cat "alert that you can post to.

but there's no place like home... he would be home if possible

@Plant1010J Of course he would be. Is he indoor, outdoor? If he is, he might have been mooching off someone who left him in their house. If he isn't used to the outdoors, then he could have been frightened into running to a unfamiliar place and needs to smell his way home.

@Hathacat He is an indoor/outdoor kitty. I see your points

@Plant1010J Wishing the best!

@Hathacat thank you thank you thank you. I'm so glad you all are here

thank you !