Will a neighbor outdoor cat keep my missing cat from coming back?
My indoor cat has been missing for 4 nights and 3 days. I did all the usual things I was recommended to do by shelters and the internet: keep the doors cracked open, leave food and water out, leave some of my clothes outside, leave his litter box outside (some told me not to do that but we don’t have any raccoons or other animals in our area so I decides to try it). We searched for hours around the perimeter in all neighbors porches, grills, cars, and scoured the woods across from our house and up trees. I even rented a thermal camera to see if I could pick up his heat signature.
I set up security camera in the front and back of my house. They have picked up on 3 outdoor cats that have all come by to check things out. Once I saw the first one I moved the food inside and his litter box, but still kept the door cracked in case my cat decided to slip in the middle of the night.
Well last night, one of the more bold cats that we’ve caught on the cameras about 5 times now came INSIDE of our house and walked around last night while we were sleeping.
I’m so scared this is going to deter my own cat from coming home due to this outdoor cat hanging around. Any suggestions? Do we think my cat will still try to return home?