Has anyone had a cat 'change homes' and is there a way to convince them to come back? I don't want what just happened to my cat to happen to another.

I hate my next door neighbours right now. like really really hate them >.< as in I want to go over there and strangle the adults.

We had a cat called Rose, she was mine, given to me by a friend when I was 6, I loved her, she would sleep with me, greet me at the door. she was my cat. Around 2-3 years ago she moved next door, I don't know what made her do so, maybe the fact we had a kitten dumped in our yard that we adopted, or it was the puppy we just got. anything we did couldn't convince her to come back, she destroyed the bathroom at one point trying to get out of the house she didn't want to be here that bad...

next door kept on giving her back to us over the fence, but she kept going back so finally we asked them to feed her, we gave them a month supply of food each month and they would feed her for us... not to mention she was inlove with their youngest son, she would bound up to him and allow herself to be picked up and thrown around like a rag doll, she used to go balistic if you turned her on her back, but she would do it for him..... so that son looked after her as much as a 5 yr old with learning difficulties could.

we thought they fed her we thought they looked after her

Early this morning, I heard the owner of the house 2 houses down calling over the fence. I didn't think much of it, dad got up to answer her. Turns out, Rose was in her back yard, and in a terrible state. You know that state of starvation where the stomache distends? all skin and bone and this bloated stomach. thats what Rose was like. The vet said she hasn't been fed a full meal for around 2 weeks. her hind legs were locked up, she had a terrible ear infection and has absceses all over her body.

THEY FUCKING KNEW SHE WAS THIS BAD ...they must have... she lived outside their front door, thats where she used to be fed, thats where she slept. She was old, she'd just turned 17, completely deaf and blind, but the fact she spent her last 2 weeks with out a full meal and in the cold just makes me so FURIOUS at next door. she screeched each morning for food, 2 weeks ago I saw her as I went to work, I got dad to bring her food. she wouldn't go near use but ate everything we brought her.

We had to have her put down, she couldn't be fixed. she'll be brought home later tonight to be buried under a Rose Bush my dad just went out and brought. I'm so upset about what happened to her. But we can't do anything about it. she was still our cat, still registered under us. She was still our responsibilty even if she didn't live here. We should have tried harder to convince her to come back.

I want to know if anyone else has had a cat change homes, and if it is possible to convince them to come back. I don't want this to happen to another cat I own.

TL;DR: cat moved next door 2-3 years ago, wouldn't come back. Next door said they would feed her and look after her. put down today to neglect and old age. I want to know how to convince a cat to come back home.