Re: The cat !
Lots of cats leave home. That one didn't like where it lived, it happens.
My next door neighbours are out & out cat lovers, they have had several cats of their own over the years they have lived next door, but have also taken in strays or cats who left home to live with them. Some they have discovered who the cats original owners were & have officially adopted them themselves after permission.
The real strays, though seemingly having had a pet home before because they were friendly, their original owners were never found. A few were fairly feral, they have one at present like that, they feed him but he won't go near anyone & if you approach him while he's eating he moves away, an improvement as before he ran away. They can't touch him & he never goes in the house, we have no idea where he sleeps. The other cat they have now, had an owner but she prefers next door & the owner agreed to let her stay with them.
I have lost count of the cats, like these two, who, over the years have just turned up on their doorstep or in their garden looking for a new home. At one stage they had 6. The cats seem to know they won't be turned away.
It's rather spooky the way they know.