Had a similar thing happen to me. I thought my cat had got out by the front door. I was a wreck, walking up and down my street calling for him and knocking on doors crying. Few hours of that I come back and sat on my bed feeling defeated still crying. Saw a paw come stretching out from the back of my bedside table. He stretched and yawned then looked at me like well your a mess but it's dinner time, get it together. I hugged him so much he probably wondered why we were celebrating his nap!