Holly the Cat is being called a miracle as she traveled over 190 miles back to her home after she got lost.
Jacob and Bonnie Richter, of West Palm Beach, Fla. took 4-year-old Holly on vacation with them to Daytona, Fla. in early November. One night Holly became frightened by fireworks that were going off near the Richter's home and she ran away. The Richters put in all of their efforts to try to find their beloved pet by handing out flyers and asking around, but they had to leave without her, the New York Times reports.
Holly was missing for 60 days when she showed up in the yard of Barb Mazolla, who lives a mile away from the Richters. Mazolla noticed that the cat was emaciated and could barely cry as it was so weak. Mazolla took the animal to a vet. Holly's microchip was scanned and the vet returned her to the Richters.
"It was quite a journey for this little girl," Jacob Richter told ABC News affiliate WPBF-TV. "We just can't believe she came home."
Holly that cat's journey is a rare occurrence that shocked vets.
"All animals have a sense of direction, but it's really unusual for cats to find a way home over long distances," veterinarian Marty Becker told ABC. "I think this is somewhat of a miracle."
Scientists are a bit baffled by how the cat was able to complete such a wild journey. It is more common to hear about dogs doing such a feat.
"I really believe these stories, but they're just hard to explain," Marc Bekoff, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Colorado told the NY Times. "Maybe being street-smart, maybe reading animal cues, maybe being able to read cars, maybe being a good hunter. I have no data for this."
Yet Holly isn't the only cat to make an impressive trip by herself. In April, young cat named Horace went missing from his UK home. He showed up nearly three weeks later, with two broken legs.
In 2002, another cat made an even longer trip back to its owners when it got lost. Skittles disappeared while he was on vacation with his owners in Wisconsin. About 140 days later, the cat appeared back at their home in Minnesota, nearly 350 miles away.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
