Why is my cat crying outside?

by Jenna
(Scotland)

My cat is just over a year old. We lived in a flat previously so kept him as an indoor cat, however recently moved to a house with a garden in a quiet area and decided to let him outside. He has been going out every other day for several weeks now and we have never had any issues. He always comes in when he is called.

Last night my partner and I struggled to get him in for about 2 hours, calling on him, shaking food boxes, toys, etc. When we first started calling on him, he began to cry in response. I went out into the street and he was standing at the corner of the road, continuing to cry.

I thought at first that he was trying to alert me to something so I followed him, but he started going in the opposite direction, into different gardens, etc. - still continuing to cry the whole time. This went on for some time and I eventually gave up.

It took us about 2 and a half hours to eventually get him in, at about 9 pm at night. I usually don’t let him out past 6/7 at the latest due to foxes and don’t like him being out in the dark. He has been crying to get out today but I am now nervous.

Has anyone else experienced this? Could it be that he’s maybe calling for a female cat? He goes to the vet regularly and was given a clean bill of health a fortnight ago. Should I take him back to get checked over?

Any help or advice would be much appreciated, thank you. :)