Our rescued stray has escaped! (warning, long)

Hey all.

Bit of background: I already own two neutered male cats age 2 and 1. They are whip smart, curious and like other animals. I live in London and my cats have garden access - they can get out of the garden, but it's hard work to do so (we're lower ground so the garden is a storey below street level with concrete walls).

About December-ish last year they started to bring a stray cat home with them. Before that we'd thought that they could only get in and out of our garden and the neighbour's gardens. We then figured out that if they scaled the brick wall, they could get out, or at least, that was how this cat was getting in.

Anyway… The cat was super scruffy and terrified of people.

We started feeding him morning and night with the hope of getting close enough to put a paper collar on him or take him to a vet.

He eventually got the stage where I could stand or sit about a foot away as he ate, but this took about 5 months.

About one month ago there was a storm and we found him hiding under our sofa, terrified and sickly. He refused to move and a rescue shelter kindly agreed to collect and vet treat him. For the last month he has been having vet treatments, was neutered, and has had a lot of his teeth removed (because they had rotten and infected down to his jaw bone). The vets said that he was middle-aged at least.

He was brought back to us three days ago.

We put him in spare bedroom with some feliway plug ins, comfy beds, food etc. He was nervous, but gave us eye blinks and only the occasional hiss, which was more in greeting than anything!

The plan was to keep him in there for a week or so until he was feeling calm, then re-introduce him to our cats (who loved him) then slowly let him round the rest of the house until he realised he had a home here if he wanted it.

Unfortunately, last night my ultra-smart cat managed to open to sets of doors and let him out. These were heavy fire doors that are tough to open. We woke up to find all the doors open and him gone.

The question is, what do we do now? Feel awful he got out, like we have done him a massive disservice. Can only hope he comes back for food in a few days. 

Is there anything I can do to try and find him? Will he come back of his own accord?

I would put food out for him and maybe call to him.  Stick to whatever routine you had before he was trapped.

He's been through so much and you have been kind to him, so he may return.  Blessings on you for helping him.

You have your hands full with those two very clever cats!

Thank you. I've been hoping that he is hiding somewhere in the house, because we didn't hear them fighting or hissing (I'm a light sleeper) and there would have been a crossover between them if he ran out.

I'm hoping when the door swung open he hid in a far corner under the bed and we just haven't seen him yet because he is black and basically disguised as a shadow.

We left out food but all we managed to do was get the other stray we have been feeding off and on back. She's ultra-friendly, but very tatty and dirty, so we've been putting paper collars on her to see if she has an owner.

My cats hate her, so she may need to be rehomed rather than returned to us :/

Update: no news or sign of him yet

We're going to rig up a webcam to see if he has been coming back to eat at night, but I don't think he has as there doesn't seem to be a lot of food missing

Update: A few days after my last update I saw him scavenging for food in some waste land a street away. I had just been out to buy cat food so took some over to him.

He ran off - but came back to our house that night and stayed in our garden ever since. He leaves every morning, but just sits outside the back door, and is there waiting for us when we come back from work. He sleeps in our house every night (he thinks we don't realise, but I have started doing early shifts and we have awkward run-ins in the hallway) and we feed him. So… A tiny win of sorts.

Yes, it is a win of sorts. He may warm up gradually, especially if you continue to feed him. It's a good sign that he is still hanging around.

Thanks for the updates.