Yes, I've tried that. I had a trail camera set up in lots of different places around here, filming whatever came to eat the food I left out. I also got up at three every morning throughout the warmer months and spent about an hour wandering around. I saw all kinds of wildlife and dozens of cats, but no George unfortunately. I think he must have gone further away than the 1 mile circle I was making.
You've come to the right placeI just happened to run across this thread after Googling whether I should give up looking for my lost cat. My cat, Dexter, has been missing for just over a year now. He was always an indoor/outdoor cat and was 11 years old at the time of his disappearance (12 now). My family lives in Texas, where he was last seen, and at the time we did absolutely everything we could to find him--hundreds of posters, contacted shelters and vets, etc. Heck, we even bought a trail camera and set it up in the forest near our apartment complex, but all we got were raccoons and occasional strays/house cats. At the time I was a university student going to school in California, so it was difficult only being able to really look for him myself when I came home on breaks and holidays.
Interestingly, now, I too am in Japan, living life as an English teacher after graduating college this past summer. When I read that some of you too had been to and lived in Japan, I felt this weird connection and felt like I had to post here. Forgive me if I'm posting wrong or replying weirdly; this is my first time on the site and I just made an account on a whim, haha.
Anyway, I still have hope Dexter will come home. I continuously update his Craigslist ads, and that's about all I can do, now that I'm in Japan. And, obviously, since it's been a year now, my family doesn't hold out much hope anymore and is not actively searching. (In addition, we moved to a house this past summer, so we no longer live in the apartment where he was last seen, which just makes it all the more difficult to know if he'll ever come home.)
Sorry to hijack this thread! I guess I just needed a place to talk about Dexter. And it's hard connecting to people who have never gone through this. You guys seem like such a hopeful and encouraging bunch.
My sister had a feral cat turned friendly to her go missing for 2 1/2 yrs! She thought a coyote had taken it's life and resolved herself to that fact. This cat, Birdie, showed up on her patio, looking great and healthy, like no time had passed at all. Birdie stayed with her from that day on till it was her time to go to the bridge. There are many true and heartwarming stories of cats returning home after a very long, long time. CARRY ON WITH HOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
I wanted to post a happy happy update! Patches came to my deck during the night!!! I am in utter shock. I have surveillance cameras that I use also for the cats comings and goings. He was very skinny, but he is alive!!
ShadowsRescue, you've given me an idea. I've been using my camera in lots of different places and done a full 1-mile diameter circle around my house, but maybe George will come closer to home now that the weather is getting colder. I've started setting up the camera every night at the bottom of the field where George always used to hang out. The colony tend to stay in the fields in the opposite direction so maybe, just maybe he'll start coming back to his old favourite mousing spot.
Thanks Stewball. Carpet's doing fine now. She has been vaccinated against cat flu but she's got a bad case of the sniffles. She's very patient and sits on my lap while I sponge her eyes and nose clean, she's eating well too. The other kittens have to be wrapped in a towel and wrestled to the ground before I can get their eye drops in, but they seem to be recovering.
