As a cat owner of a very lazy, very spoiled house cat, one of my worst nightmares is my cat running away. Because I know her. And I know she won't make it. Our trips to the vet are something awful. The moment she is out of the house, she starts making noises she never makes otherwise - screaming like those stray cats in fights that we hear outside sometimes. She only likes the outside when it's on the other side of a window. Then, she's happy. Loves watching birds, loves listening to the sound of cars, loves sniffing the fresh, crispy air. 24 hours would be the longest she would make it outside. Then, she would come back. And that's not just a guess, or a joke. I know that for a fact. Because it happened.
There is no lesson to this story. I was lucky that she found her way back to me after 24 hours, and I'll tell you exactly how amazing and unlikely that was in a moment. If there is anything that I would like you to take away from this story, it's this: If your cat runs away, don't give up. Keep looking for them. Keep listening. For as long as you can handle it. Often, they want to come back. But they might need a little help finding their way.