By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 22:30 EST, 20 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:46 EST, 22 January 2013 . An indoor house cat made an incredible journey after disappearing on a family outing and returning to her hometown by traveling about 200 miles over two months. Holly, a 4-year-old tortoiseshell, was separated from her owners Jacob and Bonnie Richter at an R.V. rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, in early November. Two months later, on New Year’s Eve, Holly was found in a family’s backyard about a mile from the Richters’ house in West Palm Beach. She was weak and emaciated. Separated: Holly, a 4-year-old tortoiseshell house cat, was separated from her owners Jacob and Bonnie Richter at an R.V. rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, in early November . Reunited: Two months later, on New Year's Eve, Holly was found in a family's backyard about a mile from her owners Jacob and Bonnie Richter Richters' house in West Palm Beach . The Richters cried when they saw Holly, who instantly relaxed when placed on Mr Richter’s shoulder. Her owners are still unsure of how she found her way home. ‘Her pads on her feet were bleeding,’ Ms Richter said. ‘Her claws are worn weird. The front ones are really sharp, the back ones worn down to nothing.’ Even scientists are baffled by how the house cat managed to travel nearly 200 miles back home. ‘Are you sure it’s the same cat?’ John Bradshaw, director of the University of Bristol’s Anthrozoology Institute, told the New York Times. In other cases where missing cats allegedly were found by their owners weeks and months after disappearing, Bradshaw has suspected, ‘the cats are just strays, and the people have got kind of a mental justification for expecting it to be the same cat.’ But in addition to the unique black-and-brown harlequin patterns on Holly’s fur, she also had an implanted microchip to allow people to identify her. ‘I really believe these stories, but they’re just hard to explain,’ said Marc Bekoff, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Colorado. ‘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.’ Long journey: Holly traveled 200 miles from Dayton Beach back home to West Palm Beach . Dr. Bradshaw says Holly may have gotten a lift and perhaps hid under the hood of a truck heading down Florida's I-95. However, the condition of her paws suggests Holly was not driven the entire 200 miles, nor did she travel easily. Scientists say it is more common, although still rare, to hear of dogs returning home. Dr. Bradshaw said dogs may have inherited their genetic relative wolves’ ability to navigate using magnetic clues. It is also possible that dogs get taken on more family outings, and that lost dogs are more easily noticed by people along the way, scientists say. Cats, on the other hand, typically navigate well around familiar landscapes, memorizing locations by sight and smell, Dr. Bradshaw told the New York Times. All in all though, there is little scientific knowledge about cat navigation. Migratory animals such as birds, turtles and insects have been studied more closely. Many of them use magnetic fields or orientation by the sun to navigate. Holly the house cat hardly seemed an adventurous wanderer, her owners say, though her bloodline may have given her a genetic advantage. Her mother was a feral cat that had been roaming the Richters’ mobile home park, and Holly was born inside somebody’s air-conditioner. At about six weeks old, Holly padded into their carport and jumped into the lap of Mr. Richter’s mother, Ms Richter said. Feral blood: Holly's mother was a feral cat that had been roaming the Richters' mobile home park, and Holly was born inside somebody¿s air-conditioner.
Holly, a 4-year-old indoor house cat, made an incredible journey after disappearing on a family outing and returning to her hometown by traveling about 200 miles over two months .
Scientists are baffled by how the cat managed to return home .
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 22:30 EST, 20 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:46 EST, 22 January 2013 . An indoor house cat made an incredible journey after disappearing on a family outing and returning to her hometown by traveling about 200 miles over two months. Holly, a 4-year-old tortoiseshell, was separated from her owners Jacob and Bonnie Richter at an R.V. rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, in early November. Two months later, on New Year’s Eve, Holly was found in a family’s backyard about a mile from the Richters’ house in West Palm Beach. She was weak and emaciated. Separated: Holly, a 4-year-old tortoiseshell house cat, was separated from her owners Jacob and Bonnie Richter at an R.V. rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, in early November . Reunited: Two months later, on New Year's Eve, Holly was found in a family's backyard about a mile from her owners Jacob and Bonnie Richter Richters' house in West Palm Beach . The Richters cried when they saw Holly, who instantly relaxed when placed on Mr Richter’s shoulder. Her owners are still unsure of how she found her way home. ‘Her pads on her feet were bleeding,’ Ms Richter said. ‘Her claws are worn weird. The front ones are really sharp, the back ones worn down to nothing.’ Even scientists are baffled by how the house cat managed to travel nearly 200 miles back home. ‘Are you sure it’s the same cat?’ John Bradshaw, director of the University of Bristol’s Anthrozoology Institute, told the New York Times. In other cases where missing cats allegedly were found by their owners weeks and months after disappearing, Bradshaw has suspected, ‘the cats are just strays, and the people have got kind of a mental justification for expecting it to be the same cat.’ But in addition to the unique black-and-brown harlequin patterns on Holly’s fur, she also had an implanted microchip to allow people to identify her. ‘I really believe these stories, but they’re just hard to explain,’ said Marc Bekoff, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Colorado. ‘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.’ Long journey: Holly traveled 200 miles from Dayton Beach back home to West Palm Beach . Dr. Bradshaw says Holly may have gotten a lift and perhaps hid under the hood of a truck heading down Florida's I-95. However, the condition of her paws suggests Holly was not driven the entire 200 miles, nor did she travel easily. Scientists say it is more common, although still rare, to hear of dogs returning home. Dr. Bradshaw said dogs may have inherited their genetic relative wolves’ ability to navigate using magnetic clues. It is also possible that dogs get taken on more family outings, and that lost dogs are more easily noticed by people along the way, scientists say. Cats, on the other hand, typically navigate well around familiar landscapes, memorizing locations by sight and smell, Dr. Bradshaw told the New York Times. All in all though, there is little scientific knowledge about cat navigation. Migratory animals such as birds, turtles and insects have been studied more closely. Many of them use magnetic fields or orientation by the sun to navigate. Holly the house cat hardly seemed an adventurous wanderer, her owners say, though her bloodline may have given her a genetic advantage. Her mother was a feral cat that had been roaming the Richters’ mobile home park, and Holly was born inside somebody’s air-conditioner. At about six weeks old, Holly padded into their carport and jumped into the lap of Mr. Richter’s mother, Ms Richter said. Feral blood: Holly's mother was a feral cat that had been roaming the Richters' mobile home park, and Holly was born inside somebody¿s air-conditioner.
January 2013 . An indoor house cat made an incredible journey after disappearing on a family outing and returning to her hometown by traveling about 200 miles over two months. Holly, a nothing.’ Even scientists are baffled by how the