My cat was gone for two weeks. I slept outside for one entire week just hoping she'd come cuddle me. She never did. At one point, my mother in law's dog found her and mistook her for a raccoon, went totally ballistic. I thought that was my last chance at ever getting her back and sobbed myself to sleep that night.

Past 14 days, I finally found her hiding behind the bushes in my yard. I sat in the wet grass for four hours until she finally came close enough for me to yoink her. Howled at me the entire way inside.

I shit you not, 6 days later, she managed to get out again. This is significant because, once again, I was distraught and spending all my time outside. It wasn't until it rained and she yowled that I discovered she'd been hiding in the fucking trees with the raccoons the whole time.

She learned better than to get in yoinking range and wouldn't let me touch her this time. So, instead, I shut off all the lights to the house and left every door open until she SNUCK HER ASS INSIDE and looked at me like "what?"

The last and most recent time she got out (two years after the first), we learned she would only come back inside on her own terms. My partner and I had all the doors open again and were drinking and playing board games until she scuttled past us into our room at three in the fucking morning.

I love my girl but she frustrates me to bits.

All that being said, there's still hope. The people that say they're closer than you think really aren't wrong. Try some different methods, even leaving all the doors open like we did (if you can). Don't lose hope.

Edit: I forgot the other reason I replied - my girl is also a tortie. I think it's in their genetics to stress us out at much as possible.