I think you are being very sensible about this. You must have a quite lovely collection of people in your community, or maybe they just all really like you, for them to continue on searching. While it is a good idea to probably give them an update of what is happening and what you are doing, I don't think that they are in any way inconvenienced about looking for Luna. To be honest, the kids are probably enjoying the hunt and the older people have something to watch for and engage in.
Keeping the feeding station going is good, taking the trap down probably for the best. It seems as if this is a very cat friendly community with a number of feeders and shelters, so Luna may have returned to her former life. You have owned cats, so you know about the completely varied personalities you can get with them...so much more inconsistent than a dog. I have two ferals outside who are calm enough to the point where I can apply Advantage to them. Both wait for me for food, one likes to be rubbed but both have drawn the line there. A neighbor tried bringing one of them inside, but it did not work. On the other hand, my avatar and her sister are now indoor only pets who were born to completely feral parents under my neighbor's house 3 years ago. One of my older indoor cats, long term resident, probably would have been happier having been released after she was fixed....it is a little late now, but she has never completely adapted to being inside. I think that you are right that Luna was one of those who was on the cusp of going either way, or possibly of having stayed just as she was. My only cat pets ever have been strays and ferals, never even got one from a shelter much less a breeder, so I have really seen the personalities run the gamut.
Don't stop looking in general for her. You may get a surprise. I have a cousin who lived in a little beach house in the FL panhandle and in the hurricane that hit before Katrina she lost her entire house..with the cat inside. She had gone to the store or the like, and the cat stayed home. We figured it was washed out to sea, but about 3 weeks later she found it in the sea grasses on the beach....very skinny and scared as there was no one feeding or helping at that point, but alive.
Please let us know how this progresses.
Keeping the feeding station going is good, taking the trap down probably for the best. It seems as if this is a very cat friendly community with a number of feeders and shelters, so Luna may have returned to her former life. You have owned cats, so you know about the completely varied personalities you can get with them...so much more inconsistent than a dog. I have two ferals outside who are calm enough to the point where I can apply Advantage to them. Both wait for me for food, one likes to be rubbed but both have drawn the line there. A neighbor tried bringing one of them inside, but it did not work. On the other hand, my avatar and her sister are now indoor only pets who were born to completely feral parents under my neighbor's house 3 years ago. One of my older indoor cats, long term resident, probably would have been happier having been released after she was fixed....it is a little late now, but she has never completely adapted to being inside. I think that you are right that Luna was one of those who was on the cusp of going either way, or possibly of having stayed just as she was. My only cat pets ever have been strays and ferals, never even got one from a shelter much less a breeder, so I have really seen the personalities run the gamut.
Don't stop looking in general for her. You may get a surprise. I have a cousin who lived in a little beach house in the FL panhandle and in the hurricane that hit before Katrina she lost her entire house..with the cat inside. She had gone to the store or the like, and the cat stayed home. We figured it was washed out to sea, but about 3 weeks later she found it in the sea grasses on the beach....very skinny and scared as there was no one feeding or helping at that point, but alive.
Please let us know how this progresses.