The cat came back.

[Catherine]

After 40 days missing, the cat came back. The family was on a road trip and somewhere in the Colorado wilderness, Fridge, the cat went missing. He was missing  at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The family had to go home to Minnesota, but Nakee Bullen kept searching social media and Humane Society listings for any sign Fridge had been found. She never gave up. After 40 days someone found Fridge and took him to the shelter. The shelter called to say Fridge had been found. A ten hour drive later, they were reunited.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/cat...787e&ei=53

The key thing here is that Nakee never stopped searching for Fridge. People knew she was looking for him. The shelter called her to say he had been found.
It took the help of a number of people, but the cat came back.