My cat is an inside cat but got out once. We didn't realize it till the next morning; he'd been outside for about 18 hours and when he finally came in - hissing at me the whole time like it was my fault - he made a beeline for the litter box.
About a year ago, my daughters were moving into a new apartment. One of their cats got out when they weren't looking and climbed a tree. The cat was on the lowest branch which was about 15 feet up. The girls were all concerned about the cat being stuck up in the tree because they couldn't coax him down.
I asked them two questions,
1. Have you ever seen a dead cat up in a tree?
2. Have you ever seen a dead cat at the base of a tree?
Of course, the answer to both questions was no.
I told them not to worry about him, he would find his way down when he was ready. And he did.