On my Catpage, there are two articles on this subject, namely:

                          Finding your Lost Cat

                   by Sharon Talbert, Seattle, WA, USA

                     with an addendum by Jenna Steele

                     http://blakjak.com/lost_cat.htm

                            Lost Cat Behaviour

               by Kat Albrecht, Santa Cruz, California USA

                     http://blakjak.com/lost_ct1.htm

 There are also links to a couple of other places.  I hope that the
advice in these articles helps, and that you find your lost cat.

 Both these articles are available as emails on request from me at
David Stevenson <cat2@blakjak.com>.  Just ask for

       Item 12: Finding your Lost Cat by Sharon Talbert
       Item 13: Lost Cat Behaviour by Kat Albrecht

don't give up yet Tim, my old cat went missing for 3 weeks then I got a
phone call he had been found about 50 miles from our house!  we did get a
lot of hoax sick callers in the mean time though! from the fliers I put out.
So glad he had a name and telephone no on his collar!  he was really skinny
and he was at their back door crying, I suppose in the end he just had to
ask for food.

My neighbours' cat was missing for a week, they were really down about it,
but it ended that it had been locked into a cellar by mistake. So don't give
up hope yet.
The neighbours were so upset, searched the streets for the cat's body, rang
all the doorbells in the area. That made me realise how much they loved and
missed their pet. And it also made me realise again that I had wanted a cat
for years like the one I had when I was a child. My husband didn't allow me
though, firstly because he is allergic and also because he is terrified of
all animals - especially of cats.
But then husband and I split a few years ago so I *did* get my cat
eventually after the incident with the neighbour's cat.
I was very thoughtless about getting it though. I got it through the paper,
didn't even look at it, but I was lucky. The cat is a real personality, has
adopted us well - and the dog played along with the whole thing...Yesterday
they even played with each other in the garden!

Well, about (not) replacing the cat: A pet can be a burden, it can make you
worry, it takes up time and money, it prevents you from going out freely for
some days, sometimes it can cause inconvenience. Like yesterday, when the
dog brought home a freshly marinaded, tasty, large chicken leg! (I was on
guard all afternoon, getting my words ready for an upset hungry human. And I
had a nice bottle of wine ready for him or her too.)
These thoughts always help me not to go overboard with having pets,
otherwise I would have _loads_ more....

Carola

You must give it time. Also, keep going out calling, and looking. Remind the
neighbors. Put up flyers. My friend's cat was gone three weeks. Came back
skinny but OK.

Karen

Hey Tim,

You don't even want to broach the subject of replacing (or not) the
missing kitty to your wife now.  I've had cats go missing for several
weeks before they resurfaced.  A friend of mine lost her cat for a
full year before he wandered back.  Your wife must be a true
cat-person, Tim, so just help her through her grief as well as you
can.  Hopefully, your little wanderer will show up soon.

Best of luck to your people and kitty family.  Hugs to the wife.

Kind Regards,

Michele Somday

Sorry that your kitty is missing, Tim.

For help please visit this page: http://www.flippyscatpage.com/health.html
and look under LOST & FOUND.

Hope he comes home soon.

Flippy in Melbourne, Australia.
Email: flippy AT flippyscatpage DOTTY com
Catpage: http://www.flippyscatpage.com

Tim, give us more information. How was the cat lost?  What is your
neighborhood like?  Any cat-hating neighbors that possibly trapped and
relocated the cat?  Take a look at these links;
http://blakjak.com/lost_cat.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/indoors.html

It doesn't look as though anyone else has mentioned it...

Look at your local shelter or humane society! Animal control officers may
have picked up your kitty (or someone might have picked up the cat and took
him in), and he may be waiting on you even now.