Thanks, Karen.  I hadn't shown him the cat door.  Closing it isn't
really an option.  I have another cat who uses it, and she knows how to
open it when I've unlocked it.  My hope is that if he could use it to
get out, he could use it to get back in.  However, it really worries me
that he's been gone so long.

Joy

Thanks, Sam.  The purrs worked - at least partway.  The good news is,
now I know he's okay.  Apparently Lindy decided once he was outside she
could treat him as an intruder again.  This evening I heard her give
that intruder yowl and went into the kitchen, where she was crouched by
the cat door.  When I opened the door I saw him, but he ran from me.  He
hid under the car.  I tried talking to him, but he was too scared.  I
finally shut Lindy up and went after him.  He still ran away from me.  I
took some food out and he was hungry, so he let me get close enough to
pick him up.  I brought him and the food in the house, and he started
eating.

I left him alone to eat, and apparently he went out again, because soon
after I let Lindy out of the bedroom, she did the yowling again.  Once
again I opened the door and saw him, but he ran.  I finally put a
blanket in a sort of secluded place in the garage, and put some food
nearby.  I think I'm going to have to win his trust all over again, and
it will be tough, with Lindy acting the way she does.  But as I said, at
least I know he's safe.

There's one thing sure - assuming I get him in the house by
Thanksgiving, I won't be dragging him out of the closet, and nobody will
take pictures of him.  My kids were over, and I got him out to introduce
him, and to have my son-in-law take some pictures of him.  He didn't
like that, and that's probably part of what had him spooked.  I know a
lot of it was Lindy, though.

Joy

Thanks, Marina.  The purrs have worked partway.  He's definitely still
around.  See my response to Sam.  Now we need to concentrate the purrs
on getting him to come inside and stay here again.

--
Joy

Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way
things turn out.
-- John Wooden

Thank you, Polonca.  He's home - sort of.  He's hanging around here,
anyway.  Now I just have to get him back into the house.

--
Joy

Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way
things turn out.
-- John Wooden

Thanks, Dan.  All the purrs are definitely helping.  I saw him this
evening, and I am going to work a complicated plan that I've explained
under the Feliway heading.

Joy