I know exactly how you feel. I'm glad it only took 3 weeks! Our cat went missing in July. She somehow got out of the house when we were packing the car for a long weekend trip. When we returned the food, water and litter boxes were exactly as we left them. We searched inside the house, outside and the neighborhood for weeks. Halloween afternoon when the kids were out all over the neighborhood, 2 girls came by our house with a cat that they said they found across the street! It was ours! Took her to the vet the next day - she had lost 4 lbs, had a tick, and worms, but all in all for an indoor cat for 3 years (when our daughter had her, she was an indoor/outdoor kitty). The vet said her previous outdoor experience probably was why she survived. I'm beginning to believe that cats don't do well at recognizing the outside of their homes.