Domestic Cat to Wild Feral Cat

Question
Dear Tabbi - We had a 11 month old Bengal female, indoor-outdoor, who turned up missing in July. 2 months later, our neighbor indicated he has seen her a couple of times, only at night, in the last couple of weeks. He saw her again last night. She immediately runs away. Is it possible for a cat to revert back to the wild that quickly, never to be seen again? Have you ever heard of this happening to a cat who already has the ultimate cushy life?
What is the best bait to trap her?
Can she be "re-domesticated"?

Answer
Terri,

It's sad to say, but your cat is probably where he wants to be right now. Even though he is 'owned', he is still an independent creature. There is something that may be attracting him where he is. It could be a family of rodents, another cat he has become 'friends' with, someone feeding him, etc., or possibly, a child-free home if you have children.

Some homes with children have too much activity for a cat. I only I mention this because there is a chance that it is the reason your cat 'moved'. If you have children in the home, they could have friends that, without their knowledge could have been mean to the cat, or could have been 'rowdy' and scared the cat. Your children may have been raised correctly, but there are a lot of children who have not been taught how to be kind or gentle around animals.

The cat more than likely knows where her home is and she will come back if and when she wants to. I had a cat that disliked kittens, and when I fostered some, he left and moved to a neighbor's house that did not have cats. He would visit periodically but leave right away again. Then, six months later he came back and stayed, like he had never left.

The above are just possibilities. Sometimes only a cat knows why it does something for sure. I would keep calling and trying to get him home. But if you do, and she goes away again, sadly, I would let her be and not try to force her to stay at your house. It will depress her and may make her aggressive and unhappy. Hopefully, whatever is keeping her interested where she is at, she will get bored with, and come home to stay.

I am including a link to a very good Bengal website:
http://www.hdw-inc.com/
They have an email address where you can contact them with your question. Your cat's behavior may be something that is breed-specific and they can give you some further information or suggestions.

Tabbi