Dear Laura,

I’ve been hearing about so many cats doing this in the past few weeks that I’ve been meaning to reach out to other animal communicators about it, just out of curiosity. It’s actually fairly common for cats to go on little journeys, returning only when they’re ready. As with most cat behaviors, they all seem to have their own reasons.

In Percy’s case, he wandered off and got further away than usual. He seems to have been following something. He decided that he liked seeing new scenery and everything looked very interesting and fascinating to him. He did a lot of exploring, and it eventually got late. He was tired and found a place to sleep for the night.

Then something happened, and this is where Percy isn’t being quite clear. I know you describe him as returning unscathed, but he’s reporting neck and head pain. He also says he vomited. I think the most likely scenario is that Percy became hungry and ate something he shouldn’t have, but I’m not 100% sure; he’s only giving me symptoms and not showing me the cause. This sometimes happens because the animal is unaware of the cause, and sometimes because they don’t want their people to know.

When Percy began feeling unwell he hid. This is a common behavior for cats, and of course is an instinct inherited from their wild ancestors. At first he didn’t do much, but as he began to improve he stayed close to his hiding spot, but was able to find food a few times, as well as a water source. I don’t think he was very far from your home, but far enough that when he became tired it seemed too far to just walk back. He is showing me an image of a large tree near some brush or weeds. 

As Percy healed, he became more attuned to the fact that you were missing him deeply. As soon as he felt recovered and realized he wasn’t going to cross over, he made his way home to you. It took him a little longer than it should have, because while he basically knew the way, he did briefly get lost a couple times. He is very sorry he caused you pain, and is happy to be home.

I’m also happy Percy came home, and do understand that many cats seem to dislike being indoors exclusively, mainly if they’ve been allowed out before. However, outdoor cats have a shorter lifespan than indoor cats, and cause harm to wildlife. They can go missing as Percy did and cause their families a great deal of heartache. While I know not everyone agrees, I believe it is best for all concerned to create an interesting indoor environment for our feline family members and keep them inside.

Many Blessings,

Jennifer Dickman