I am so sorry for you: this is heartbreaking. Never give up hope because people have found pets long after they went missing. Keep up the good effort! What I've always noted is how often cats are found hanging out very close to where they went missing. Make sure you put out food and a couple of t-shirts or old clothes with your smell on them. A video camera might also help. Best of luck!

Revisit the area you saw him run into........the shrubs in the back yard. Set one of his litter boxes out there, along with some food and continue calling him. After 5 years of being indoors, he could be scared and hiding.
I'd also consider putting Orange in a crate and sitting in the back yard with him. His meows may draw the other kitty back to your yard.

Hes microchipped - WHY couldnt they have added a tracking device to locate him This stupid dumbass phone has one why not my cat something far more precious and loved.

I once read the KFC in a Have A Hart type trap works wonders with cats. Wouldn't cost much to try., If you try this,, don't leave other food out-you want him hungry! Another thing you try for peace of mind-set up a wildlife camera by the food bowl and you will know if he's eating from it and still nearby,.

I'm so happy to know that you already found your lost cat. Good thing you did not lose hope. 6 weeks is such a long time for you.
How did you find him anyway?

Thanks Jordan - I could write a book on how I found him (actually I am writing some kind of feature article on it - I've been told it makes a fascinating story). I didnt get around to leafletting houses on the other side of a parking lot and some railroad tracks until week 5 (thinking he wouldnt be there) and got some info that made me suspect he was hanging out over there. I got some canned mackerel and ran a trail of mackerel juice from their backyard, over the rr tracks and through the parking lot and across the street to my house - started getting pics of him on the trail cam that very night! I started feeding at set times every night (6 pm) and he started showing up earlier and earlier, until the night he was hiding under the back porch and saw me putting the food out and decided to start meowing. Im convinced he had to SEE ME doing that before he could make the connection that I was a friend and not a foe. He was totally in feral mode, regarding
ALL PEOPLE as predators or threats.

The thing is - I did pretty much lose hope - the conventional "wisdom" is that if you dont find a cat right away they're gone for good (my own vet told me this). Couldnt be more wrong. It was only the insistence of the person at Missing Pet Partnership I was communicating with and the missing cat assistance Yahoo group that kept me going. I got my trail cam pretty much so I could feel that I'd done everything. Was completely expecting that it wouldnt work!

Thanks Jordan - I could write a book on how I found him (actually I am writing some kind of feature article on it - I've been told it makes a fascinating story). I didnt get around to leafletting houses on the other side of a parking lot and some railroad tracks until week 5 (thinking he wouldnt be there) and got some info that made me suspect he was hanging out over there. I got some canned mackerel and ran a trail of mackerel juice from their backyard, over the rr tracks and through the parking lot and across the street to my house - started getting pics of him on the trail cam that very night! I started feeding at set times every night (6 pm) and he started showing up earlier and earlier, until the night he was hiding under the back porch and saw me putting the food out and decided to start meowing. Im convinced he had to SEE ME doing that before he could make the connection that I was a friend and not a foe. He was totally in feral mode, regarding ALL PEOPLE as predators or threats.

The thing is - I did pretty much lose hope - the conventional "wisdom" is that if you dont find a cat right away they're gone for good (my own vet told me this). Couldnt be more wrong. It was only the insistence of the person at Missing Pet Partnership I was communicating with and the missing cat assistance Yahoo group that kept me going. I got my trail cam pretty much so I could feel that I'd done everything. Was completely expecting that it wouldnt work!