Lost Kitty

Question
Hi, our 10 year old (main coon mix) has been missing since 10/21. He is an indoor/outdoor kitty but in the last few years has always stayed close to home. He has gotten more needy with age. We let him out in the morning and he never came back. My mom and I have done everything to find him, fliers, newspaper ads, shelters, neighbors, searching and
searching. However, in the last week we have received several calls from neighbors who have seen him or heard his bell on his collar at different times of the day/night. He is an extremely smart kitty and has been an amazing hunter his whole life so I know surviving is not an issue for him, although it is still very unusual behavior for him. He hasn't ever gone missing for this long, maybe a few days when he was a kitten.
One thing to note...my mom was in the process of moving a few days before he went missing, she was packing up boxes and cleaning out closets so it makes sense he was stressed and irritated we are doing this to him again after only a year. The good thing is my mom only moved a few doors down in the same apt. complex but he doesn't know that yet since he didn't do the actual move with us. He is a pretty social kitty and tends to hang out where other cats live but everyone that sees him says when they approach him he runs. This is also not normal behavior. The other thing they say is that he is pretty much all over the apt. complex except for the section where my mom lives. He even cries at some of the neighbors back doors which is something he did on occasion before he went missing.
My mom and I are devestated right now and it is heart breaking knowing he is out there but isn't wanting to come home when we call him. He is our baby and has been thru everything with us. My mom goes out every night calling, not calling and listening for his bell, crying, walking around with tuna, everything you can think of at all hours.
So my concern is he has gone into survival mode and is not planning on coming home. Even though he is smart, he is still a cat and there are things out there that can hurt him which is why we never let him out after 9pm or before 6am. We know the risks of having an outdoor kitty but he is always so good and he is a big cat, 18lbs and a fighter so we know he is tough.
At this point I am at a loss and I don't know what else to do. I miss him so much. I would appreciate any insight or recommendations you have with a situation like this and hopefully you can help me find him and bring him home. I think that it is weird other people see him and hear him but we see nothing and hear nothing when we attempt to find him. Why is he hiding from us? We are his safety zone.

Sorry for the long email. I appreciate your time.

Thank you
Dawn

Answer
Dawn,

Cats hate change of any kind. He is probably upset and an upset stressed kitty outside is very hard to catch. I would suggest firstly that you take a deep breath, try to relax because I know that this is very tough on you too. My suggestion for helping to solve this problem is that that you call your vet or local shelter ASAP and see about borrowing a humane trap. Bait the trap with something smelly and irresistible (tuna, sardines, salmon....yummy stuff he generally doesn't get). Stay out of sight, maybe have a coffee with a neighbor, sit in your vehicle, whatever keeps you close by and out of sight. Before setting up the trap  you need to find out where he most frequently is in the complex. Be sure to check the trap frequently, no less than every hour that you have it out. Hunger and a yummy treat should get the better of him.
Should you happen to catch wildlife have your local animal control/wildlife specialist come out and release them. If you catch a feral cat, cover the carrier to minimize stress and either release him or decide whether you know of an organization that does feral cat rescue.
Your kitty sounds very smart, the breed is known for intelligence so perseverance is going to be important. Maybe you and your mom can take shifts. Right now this is the best solution that I have, but in order for it to work you are going to have to ask kind hearted neighbors and his friends to stop feeding him to make your efforts pay off faster. I know that you don't want him to be uncomfortable, but if he is slightly hungry this will work better. I am going to also suggest that if your neighbors hear him meowing at their doors you could try telling them to let him in and call you if they are successful. He may come in and provided they are quick to shut the door, he may catch himself and end up back with you because of his desire for human comfort (the breed is exceedingly affectionate and loves people most of the time). He may have been concerned with losing a territory that he knew and loved, this may be why he is acting strange, but I really think that you should take him to the nearest open veterinary clinic when you do finally catch him just to make sure that he is still healthy.
Has he been vaccinated properly as a kitten? Just so that you know having his shots up to date is not crucial, in fact there is good evidence that cats only need to be well vaccinated once, after that you can choose either to never vaccinate again or vaccinate in cycles as new research has come to light where cats with kidney failure show auto immune responses that shut down their kidneys which can be traced back to the over use of vaccines. Not all vets are comfortable with this research......It has only come to light in the past couple of years, but it is extremely reliable.
Anyway, please keep me posted I would like to know what happens with your situation. My heart goes out to you. I know that this is tough, I am going to speak with my vet and local animal shelter to see about other solutions, so I may add to this answer. If I can be of further help or you need to ask another question please do not hesitate to contact me.