Why did my cat go missing???

I need some help. 9 days ago, Becky, one of our two cats, went missing. She is 4 years old and desexed. We moved house 8 months ago and she settled into the new home very well - in fact only ever going outside to go to the toilet, or so it seemed. The other cat, a desexed male, would more often than not be outside - and not just in our backyard. 2.5 years ago she disappeared from our previous home at night and we found her 48 hours later in a laneway on our block - seeming a bit nervous but otherwise ok. She is a timid cat with strangers, but loves me and my wife and the other cat, Elijah. She is very affectionate to all three, and is very much a home cat. Well fed and well looked after. Although desexed, Elijah would often mount Becky (often at her invitation) but aside from a bit of wiggling, could not do much. My wife says Becky got really frustrated after one of these attempts. Then on August 4 she slept all day on my desk and didn't come for dinner until after dark - unusal for her as she normally leads the demonstrations at meal times. She then played very happily around the living room. About 2am on August 5 she jumped on our bed as my wife had left the door to the bedroom open after getting up for a drink. We started talking to her and she jumped off the bed and that is the last time we saw her. A large door-knock campaign and flyer drop in the neighbourhood followed, resulting in one positive sighting in a quiet cul-de-sac on our block during the day on August 7 but nothing since then. Our neighbours are lovely and are genuinely keeping an eye out for her. She is microchipped. No body has been found in the streets and no-one has reported finding a body on their property.

So my question - why would a home-body desexed female cat with both human and feline companionship suddenly leave home one night? If she is alive (as all indicators seem to be) and all our neighbours know what she looks like, where could she have gone? Anybody else with an experience like this?

We are all very sad and want her back soon. Spending lots of time flyer dropping and calling our her name.

Thanks,

Brad

Thanks for the information. Last (and only other time) she went missing she responded to our calls. Whilst timid, she is not the type to hide from me or my wife if we call. She was on the move and ran to us when we called so I find it difficult to think she is hiding somewhere just watching us. We have gone into neighbour's back yards, empty lots and called, rattled Elijah's bell and shaken a box of food. Left her favourite food out on top of our backyard fence overnight in a cage - nothing. Elijah is still allowed out - he won't stand to be kept in and he does wander so was hoping Becky would follow him home.

Old house is too far away (20 minute drive). How far would a desexed female cat go? Would she just hang around the block? What is she eating? Drinking?

Worried sick.

All the local vets have been contacted and emailed photos. Besides - she is microchipped so I am hoping she ends up in a vet/shelter because they all scan the cats as soon as they come in.

Becky is an excellent mouser. I am hoping she is still on the block. The question I have is, with all of the neighbours knowing she is missing and what she looks like, why haven't more sightings come in? After nine days you would think she would have been seen more than just the two sightings on August 7.

But I hear stories of cats finding their way back to their previous home from miles and miles away. Amazing stories. Why can't mine find her way back on the same block?!!!

I have door knocked my whole block and spoke to probably 80% of the neighbours. Everyone also got a flyer. I am progressing around all the surrounding blocks as well with flyers in the letter boxes. I am also sticking them up on telegraph poles, bus stops and the community notice board. We have no cat shelters in our area - only vets. The Gladesville Vet is well known and everyone says this is where someone would take her. All three local vets have her photo. I am in Sydney, Australia, where microchipping is strongly encouraged and all vets/shelters have access to this system. Obviously, no problems with coyotes or racoons here. In fact, only issue is dogs if she got into the wrong backyard at the wrong time - but this would be obvious to the dog's owners and they all know what Becky looks like. The road is a concern of course, but there is only one main street - the rest being residential traffic only and Becky hates traffic noise.

It would be unlikely that Becky would enter another house to get trapped, and she has been sighted outside sitting under a parked car. So it looks like she is free and outside.

Aside from dropping flyers further afield and going out at night calling her, is there anything more I can do besides what I have done?