Ear infection behavior

Question
Hi Dr.Gotthelf,

I recently took my cat to the vet to treat an ear infection. She was in a lot of pain when they tried to clean her ear. When the vet was done and I was about to leave his office with my cat in my arms, my cat scratched me (and on reflex I let her go). We searched around the entire block. We looked under cars, we called for her, we asked people if they had seen a gray short haired cat, etc. We also gave them a contact number. My cat has no collar on her (we lost the last one she managed to get off, and haven't bought her a new one yet because we wanted to take care of her ear first), and no microchip. She has no distinctive features. I was hoping that she would return to the vet's place because she was there about a month ago to get spated, so she's familiar with the place. How likely is it that she will return to the vet's place, and how can I help find her?

Answer
Unless she returns home on her own, it is hard to chase a cat down and find her.  Usually a cat will find a food source, usually a neighbor, so placing notices up may help.  Call local vets and the humane shelter asking if they have seen a cat with a bad ear that was brought in.