Our stray PJ has been missing...

This isn't so much a post of what to do but more of a "help me feel okay about this" post. We have been feeding and caring for PJ for about a year. He is about a year and a half. It was a slow progression with him. He would run from us and only eat when we weren't around. Then he let ate with us there and then he began to love on us. He became part of our hearts. Well, our other stray had kittens and he just did not like them. They started to do better during feeding time but PJ chose to spend more of his time alone in our backyard under our plants. He would be excited to see us and call us when we weren't around. We love him so much. Well, we haven't seen him in 2 weeks now and it's just breaking our hearts. He is a stray so of course this was bound to happen but I guess we just didn't think it would. We just keep telling ourselves that he has wandered and found new people to fall in love with. We drive around our neighborhood all the time hoping that maybe just maybe we will catch a glimpse of him and know he is alright. Of course I'm still holding out hope that he will show up again meowing for our attention but I feel like if I hold out hope I will just be more and more heartbroken everyday. Does anyone out there have similar stories or advice? Just want my heart to stop aching.

I am sorry that PJ is missing? Is he neutered? Due to his age he is prime to wander in search of a mate. He may come back but if he gets the scent of a female he may wander miles and miles. Before I had one of my feral males neutered he was gone for 5 months.

The best you can do for all of the strays is have them spayed or neutered.

Have you posted any fliers or asked your neighbors? There is a good chance he will come back when the mating season slows down. It is heartbreaking to miss them. I completely understand.

If he is not neutered he will continue with this behavior as he is hormone driven.

Wishing his safe return to you.

Have you posted his picture on social media? There is very likely a pet lost and found section for your city or borough on FaceBook. You can also call your local shelter and email his picture to them. I would also advise that you post his picture on telephone poles around you neighborhood. It's also helpful to show his pictures around to your neighbors and to areas nearby. There's a lot you can do to locate him.

Once you locate him, I hope you will consider taking him to a vet to get neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated against rabies. Unneutered male cats roam, especially when there's a female cat in heat in the area. Is there any possibility you could take him into your home? Since he's a stray and not a feral, he will likely adjust easily to indoor life. Then you will never, ever have to worry about losing him again. If there's a reason you can't bring him inside, you can care for him as an outdoor cat, but unless he's neutered, he will roam and live a much shortened life. There's also the possibility he will present you with his kittens--some toms bring their offspring to their caregiver to feed. Then you would really have your hands full.

Is it possible for you to trap and spay the female cat who had kittens, once they're weaned? Unless these cats are fixed, they will continue to reproduce. Female kittens can get pregnant as early as 4 months old. There will be an endless cycle of cats reproducing, which is always a heartbreaking situation. There are many clinics that offer low spay/neuter packages for about 30 dollars a cat--such as Animal Friends and the Humane Society.