Would a cat go feral within 3 weeks of being lost?

by Kirsha
(Seattle, WA, USA)

Several years ago, my super friendly and sweet 1½ yr old male cat went missing. Three weeks later and less than a half-mile straight down my street, there was a cat that looked very much like him.

The cat was very timid of me as well as the lady who contacted me about him. I called to him and talked in my kitty voice, but he ran back in the woods. I didn't think it was my cat based on the behavior and being scared of me, but I've always wondered if I was wrong.

This cat loved everybody. I would have to go get him from the park across the street because he wanted to go see strangers! Would he have changed that much in just three weeks?