Paphos Life

We have had a Praying Mantis Living with us for about 5 months...We first noticed it high up on one of the patio doors. Not the best place because we have 4 cats , but we decided to leave it alone..About a month ago it disappeared , and then we spotted it on a miniature Olive tree we have on the patio table. We check everyday and has almost become a pet. Is this common to stay in one place and how long do they live...Any information would be interesting.

They certainly are fascinating creatures. Any chance of a photo?

We had one of the bright green ones our frangipani plant on the front patio. It lived there for about 6 months, then just before the cold weather came it started to look a bit scruffy and brown. Several days later we found a skin sac and thought it may have shedded it's skin. We saw it again a couple of days later looking like it's old self, it stayed for a more few days, then vanished. Apparently they live for about 6 months. We we still keep a look out for it.