My cat ran away, will he know his way back home?

Cats do not 'run away'. They return home - if they can. And if you allowed an unneutered, mature male outdoors, then it's really irresponsible, as they WILL take off in search of a female. No cat should be allowed outdoors to free roam until spayed/neutered, totally up to date on vaccines, and microchipped. Have you called the local shelters and the ones the next county over to see if a cat matching his description was brought in? If he was microchipped they could call you . Shelters only hold cats for generally 3-5 days (the stray hold time varies) and after that they are either offered for adoption or euthanized. Someone may have trapped him and taken him to a shelter because they didn't want him preying on the birds at their bird feeder, crapping in their yard, and spraying their porch furniture. Have you looked on the sides of the road, under shrubs and bushes, and decks, for his body? Cats can get mauled by dogs, or hit by cars. Cats - especially unneutered males - have NO road sense. You need to be putting up lost cat flyers in public places, and he's likley much farther from your home than you think, if he's still alive. Sorry, but when we let cats outdoors to free roam, you ahve to accept the fact that each time may be the last time you see them alive. And if you are lucky enough for him to return, keep him indoors until he's neutered and a few weeks past (he will still think he's an intact male until the hormones leave his system) and get him microchipped.

Cats usually know their way back home. Create a Nextdoor.com account and post a pic of your cat saying it s missing (It s a website where your neighbors post things about missing pets, or if you need a babysitter,etc and your neighboors and nearby neighborhoods will see the post)

It isn't a matter of forgetting, no, most cats can find their way home, especially if he is an outdoor/indoor. He could be hurt or worse, or has been picked up by animal control or even someone in the neighborhood who doesn't know he is yours. Do you have posters out? Have you checked with your animal control people? THIS is why you should ALWAYS microchip AND neuter! You might end up being responsible for MORE unwanted cats if your cat mates while roaming. Intact males tend to roam much more than neutered ones.

If he was not neutered, he's out looking for females to breed. Shame on you for not having him neutered and allowing him outside. IF he's lucky, someone has picked him up and taken him in or to a shelter where he will be neutered and given to a family that is more responsible.

IF he's not lucky, he's dead or hurt/dying on the side of the road from being hit by a car/truck or getting into fights with other animals.

I had a friend who's cat disappeared, they were sure it was not coming back as it took three months. Don't give up there is always hope.

Anything can happen to a cat outdoors, that's why we are supposed to keep them inside.

Frankly the outside street cats around her never make it past 1 1/2 years to 2 years old. Cars and dogs kill most of them.