Hello, All:

This is my first post here, and I'm sad because it concerns my lost
cat, Albert.

I have been doing a LOT of reading online about lost cat behavior, and
judging from what I've read, I do NOT think that Albert is a "typical"
lost cat...but I would like to know if I'm wrong about that!!!!!

About 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, Albert our neutered, indoor-only cat
was accidentally let out of our house by our 3-year-old. He did not
tell us he had let Albert out, and we went to dinner and a movie with
friends.

So basically, Albert had approximately a 6-hour headstart before we
even knew he was gone!

Albert was born in our house and it is the only home he has ever known.

HERE THE REASONS WHY I THINK ALBERT IS NOT A TYPICAL INDOOR-ONLY CAT:

1) First of all, for the past 6 months, Albert has REALLY been trying
to get out of the house.  There is a worn spot on our front door where
Albert constantly scratched to get out. For the past couple of months,
you had to watch your feet when you went out of the house because
Albert would dash outside. When Albert wasn't scratching at the door,
he would sit by the door and moan.

2) In the days after Albert escaped, I went door-to-door asking
neighbors about him. Based on what people have told me and what I saw
for myself, the timeline of Albert's actions on July 16 and the early
morning hours of July 17 goes like this:

1 p.m.: Albert escapes our house.
6 p.m.: Albert is seen in the back yard of a house that is FIVE houses
away from mine. He lies in this back yard until after dark.
11:30 p.m.: I see Albert in the back yard of my next-door neighbor. I
call to him and begin climbing our backyard fence to enter the
neighbor's yard, but Albert disappears into the shadows. THIS IS THE
LAST TIME I EVER SAW HIM.
5:00 a.m., July 17: A neighbor that is TWELVE houses away from me sees
Albert next to his house as he returns from his night shift job. He is
fairly certain that it was Albert when he sees a photo of Albert. THIS
IS THE LAST POSITIVE SIGHTING OF ALBERT.

3) If the cat in all of the sightings in the timeline is indeed
Albert...then I have to assume that ALBERT IS TRAVELING, AND HE IS
TRAVELING QUITE A BIT.  One of the things that is SO worrying about
Albert is that it seems like he had MADE UP HIS MIND about getting out
and getting away. He seems to have escaped and is making tracks with NO
thought of returning!

I want to think that he is simply being a "Classic Cover" cat and is
somewhere very close by, but judging from the extreme distance that he
covered IN JUST THE FIRST 18 HOURS -- plus the fact that he seems to
have dropped COMPLETELY off the face of the earth -- makes me think
that he is gone for good. :(

I HAVE SOME BURNING QUESTIONS! PLEASE ANSWER WITH ANY INFORMATION YOU
THINK IS RELEVANT!

1) Do cats have a "homing instinct"? Do they often head out in a
straight line for great distances and then turn around and come back?

2) I know that it is possible that someone might have adopted Albert.
But would it be possible that Albert is sitting in another house and
NOT wanting to go outside anymore? I would think that Albert would not
want to stay full-time in ANYONE'S house.

3) How can I shake the feeling that Albert is no longer anywhere in my
area?  Why should I believe that he is staying close to home like a
"typical" indoor-only cat?  Should I pay attention to my gut feeling
that Albert is nowhere near me, or should I ignore it?

4) I have heard a frightening thing: Indoor-only cats, because they
have not marked their territory, cannot recognize their home territory
and therefore their sense of smell is useless for finding their way
home. IS THIS TRUE?

5) Do indoor-only cats usually try to come back home, or has Albert
decided that he doesn't want to be our cat anymore?

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE DONE TO GET ALBERT BACK: I have put a flyer with a
clear photo on it in every mailbox in a 2-block radius. I have put
neon-yellow signs up on every light pole in a 5-block radius. (I have
gotten several calls but when I check up on them, the cat is never
Albert.) I have managed to rent a trap from a local pet agency and have
caught a couple of cats, but of course, NO ALBERT. :(  I have been
putting food out in the front and back of my house, and I have also
hung some of my T-shirts on the back fence.

I keep hearing and reading about all of these cats that come back to
their owner's houses, sometimes after long absences, but given all of
the facts in this case, I just don't see it happening with Albert.

TOMORROW WILL BE EXACTLY 2 WEEKS SINCE ALBERT LEFT US. MY HOPES ARE
FADING. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...CAN SOMEONE HELP ME KEEP MY HOPES UP?
I don't want to give up on Albert, but it really doesn't look like he
is anywhere around. :-(