Having your cat run away is one of the worst feelings in the world. I know it because I've been there. Back when I was 17, when my cat was less than a year old, she ran away. She ran away for 24 hours before coming back and screaming underneath my window to come and get her. Those 24 hours were the worst 24 hours of my life. I was so lucky to be reunited with my cat so quickly, and I know this. But that only happened because she realized what she had. She was curious about the outside world, but she didn't quite understand it, and it seems that 24 hours were all that she needed to realize that it is much better to be a spoiled indoor cat than one living outside and fighting for everything.
I can't imagine my cat making any choice other than coming back. I can't imagine her adorable chonky self living anywhere but with me. And you know what? I'm sure that the cat owners in today's story thought the same about their cat. This cat ran away 12 years ago. A long time. Too long. Had we been his owners, we would have lost hope long ago. We can only imagine their surprise when they got the call that their cat had been found. 12 years later, with arthritis, after having lived and thrived as an "office cat", this cat was taken to the vet and his microchip was found. The owners were ecstatic, emotional, sobbing, but the cat… well, this wasn't his choice, was it? It seemed that he was just fine with living in a garage and dealing with rats, and hilariously, he was quite grumpy about being taken to a warm home with a loving family.